Urban Institute’s Reischauer Comments on Rush v. Moran in New York Times

The New York Times on June 30 featured an interview with Robert Reischauer, president of the Urban Institute, about the possible effects of the Supreme Court's decision in Rush Prudential v. Moran that upholds state laws giving patients the right to seek an independent review of denials of care by managed care companies. Asked if he thought the ruling would contribute to the rising cost of health care, Reischauer said, "I don't think so. The behavior of managed care companies has changed modestly in those areas where these review processes are in place." He said that while insurance companies may experience "a bit of disruption" as they accomodate to the ruling, "This is not something that should reach significant levels." And asked if the decision would "help or hinder" federal patients' rights legislation, which is currently stalled in a House-Senate conference committee, he predicted that the ruling would give the legislation "a push, but it's not at all clear that the push will be sufficient to put a bill on the president's desk" (Freudenheim, New York Times, 6/30). The full interview is available online.