"Suicide victim's family sues HMO under new Texas law"

"Fort Worth - In the first suit filed under Texas' year-old patient protection law, the family of a 68-year-old Fort Worth man who committed suicide in July has accused his health maintenance organization of denying him psychiatric care.

The law holds health insurers liable for controlling, influencing or withholding medically necessary care. It is being watched closely in Congress and by many states, which are considering similar legislation.

Texas became the first state to allow patients to sue HMOs alleging malpractice when Senate Bill 386 passed in May 1997. Aetna U.S. Healthcare quickly challenged the law. But in a decision released Sept. 18, U.S. District Judge Vanessa D. Gilmore in Houston upheld the measure." [Herman, Barry, Ft. Worth Star-Telegram, October 20, 1998]