The Patients’ Bill of Rights, legislation that would have allowed patients to sue HMOs for denying medically necessary care, dies in Congress after the managed care industry spends over $60 million lobbying against it. Despite bipartisan support and public outrage over HMO denials that …
George W. BushHealth Insurance Association of AmericaAmerican Association of Health PlansJohn McCainEdward Kennedy+1 morehealthcaremanaged-carelobbyingregulatory-captureinsurance-industry+1 more
President Clinton signs the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), bipartisan legislation that ostensibly addresses insurance portability between jobs but creates a regulatory framework that permits extensive healthcare industry data sharing while blocking more comprehensive …
Bill ClintonNancy KassebaumEdward KennedyHealth Insurance Association of AmericaAmerican Hospital Associationhealthcareinsurance-industryregulatory-capturedata-privacyportability
President George H.W. Bush signs the Immigration Act of 1990 (IMMACT), the most significant expansion of legal immigration since the Hart-Celler Act of 1965. The law increases annual immigration limits from 500,000 to 700,000 for the first three years and 675,000 thereafter, creates the Diversity …
George H.W. BushEdward KennedyAlan SimpsonU.S. Congressimmigrationlegal-immigrationdiversity-visah1bemployment-visas
The United States Senate rejected President Reagan’s nomination of Robert Bork to the Supreme Court by a vote of 42-58 on October 23, 1987, marking the first time in nearly a century that the Senate rejected a Supreme Court nominee primarily on the basis of ideology rather than qualifications …
Robert BorkRonald ReaganEdward KennedyLewis PowellAnthony Kennedy+4 moresupreme-courtjudicial-capturefederalist-societyconservative-movementantitrust-abandonment+3 more
President Reagan signed the Voting Rights Act Amendments of 1982, extending Section 5 preclearance requirements for 25 years and critically strengthening Section 2 by adopting a “results test” that made proving voting discrimination far easier. The legislation represented a major defeat …
Ronald ReaganCongressBob DoleEdward KennedyCoretta Scott King+1 morevoting-rightsfederal-legislationsection-2results-testreagan-administration+1 more
President Jimmy Carter signs the Refugee Act of 1980, the first comprehensive reform of U.S. refugee policy since the Displaced Persons Act of 1948. The legislation adopts the United Nations definition of refugee as anyone with a “well-founded fear of persecution” based on race, …
Jimmy CarterEdward KennedyU.S. CongressUnited Nations High Commissioner for RefugeesDepartment of Stateimmigrationrefugee-policyasylumcold-warinstitutional-capture
President Jimmy Carter signed the Airline Deregulation Act into law on October 24, 1978, marking the first time in U.S. history that an industry was deregulated and removing federal control over airline fares, routes, and market entry. In 1977, Carter had appointed Cornell economics professor Alfred …
Jimmy CarterAlfred KahnEdward KennedyStephen Breyerderegulationneoliberalismlabor-rightscorporate-consolidation
President Richard Nixon signed the Health Maintenance Organization Act of 1973 into law on December 29, 1973, following Senate sponsorship by Edward Kennedy. The Act provided grants and loans to start or expand Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), removed certain state restrictions for federally …
Richard NixonJohn EhrlichmanEdward KennedyEdgar Kaiserhealthcare-profiteeringinstitutional-capturecorporate-profitprivatization