Information about the vote from special interest groups and other information providers in our Report Cards:
American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees
Not Excluding Public Employees from the Patients' Bill of Rights.
The Senate rejected an amendment to the Bipartisan Patient Protection Act (S. 1052) that would have removed state and local government employees from coverage under the bill. Under the amendment, over 16 million public employees, their dependents and retired public workers would have been denied federal patient protections such as the right to emergency room treatment or the right to see a specialist when needed. The amendment defied the fundamental principle of ensuring that all families are protected from managed care abuse, no matter where they work. AFSCME opposed this amendment, which was defeated by the Senate on a procedural motion.