1.   Consumers who are dissatisfied with plan decisions would be able to present their appeals to an independent party outside the plan.

2.   Despite these problems, Medicare enrollees still have far more rights against unfair health plan decisions than people covered by private insurance.

3.   He also touched on a hot topic now in front of Congress by vowing to support efforts to give patients in HMOs more ability to challenge health plans decisions.

4.   It would give patients the right to sue their health plan insurers, choose their doctors and appeal health plan decisions to an external appeals board.

5.   The Democratic proposal would end the federal ban on lawsuits against health plan decisions denying treatment when those decisions cause injury or death.

6.   The Norwood and Democratic bills permit court action for any health plan decision that injures health, regardless of the outcome of appeals.

7.   Thirty-eight states have laws authorizing independent, or external, review of health plan decisions.

8.   He said committee members had agreed on a crucial provision establishing an appeals process for patients who disagree with health plan decisions to deny coverage.

9.   The Bush administration on Monday delayed a set of federal rules that govern how patients can appeal health plan decisions.

10.   The bill would give aggrieved patients new rights to sue in federal or state court and win damages for the harm done by health plan decisions.