"We have been working to get a comprehensive patient protection bill signed into law for four years now. Like the movie Ground Hog Day, I have watched this process over and over. And, here we are again with other Republicans singing the second verse, same as the first -- a little louder, and a lot worse -- just like in 1998. The truth is we don’t need an "alternative" to the Patients’ Bill of Rights.

"At issue here is the millions of Americans who have health insurance but aren’t getting the care they deserve and instead are facing delay, denial, and deception by the insurance industry when they try to get medically needed care. Having health insurance that doesn’t provide promised care is no better than having no insurance at all.

"I would note that today Republican leadership made much of the fact that all of their Chairmen support their bill. We don’t need a room full of chairmen to show that we have a good bill, we have a nation full of patients who know we have the right bill.

"I’ve had an opportunity to look at GOP’s comparison of the Fletcher-Peterson and Ganske-Dingell bill, and one thing above all others stands out. The words "similar provision." I would note, however, that the devil’s in the details and when we get down to the nuts and bolts, there are more differences than similarities. Not just in the liability sections but in the real meaning of how to make care better for patients."