PATIENTS RIGHTS TO CARE UNDER CLINTONS HEALTH SECURITY ACT - THE STRUCTURE OF REFORM

Like most reform proposals, President Clinton's proposed Health Securi ty Act offers universal access to care but does not significantly alte r the nature of patients' legal rights to services. The act would crea te a system of delegated federal regulation in which the states would act like federal administrative agencies to carry out reform. To achie ve uniform, universal coverage, the act would establish a form of mand atory health insurance, with federal law controlling the minimum servi ces to which everyone would be entitled. Because there is no constitut ionally protected right to health care and no independent constitution al standard for judging what insurance benefits are appropriate, the f ederal government would retain considerable freedom to decide what ser vices would and would not be covered. If specific benefits are necessa ry for patients, they will have to be stated in the legislation that p roduces reform.