Albany, NY – Gov. Spitzer Signs Medical Rights, 911 bills

Albany, NY – Gov. Eliot Spitzer has signed bills into law that will provide added consumer protections to people in the health care system and alert consumers about potential shortcomings of Internet phones.

The medical rights law limits a health plans ability to deny care it had preauthorized and empowers consumers to appeal decisions to deny a request to see a specialist who doesn’t participate in the health plan, among other measures.

The internet phone bill, will require companies selling Internet phone service to clearly inform consumers of the limits of 911 emergency call service. Although the federal government requires Internet phone services to provide enhanced 911 emergency response access, when customers move to another community they often don’t realize their 911 call would go to their former home area. [amny]