WASHINGTON, DC — The National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors (NAW) has expressed mixed feelings to the House’s passage of the Patients’ Bill of Rights. The organization has criticized lawmakers for expanding the exposure of employers and health plans to lawsuits and liability. At the same time, NAW has applauded the House for addressing the uninsured problem “in a constructive, market-oriented way.”

Dirk Van Dongen, president of NAW, praised President Bush’s “strong and effective leadership in negotiating the best liability agreement under very difficult circumstances.”

Despite NAW’s praise for Bush, the organization’s enthusiasm for the bill is dampened by its liability provisions. “NAW opposes any expansion on liability,” said NAW vice president-government relations, Jim Anderson. “If enacted, the new exposures to lawsuits and liability in the House-passed bill will increase both the cost and risk to our member employers who offer health insurance as an employee benefit.”