The bill does not address the issue which will be such a controversial part of the managed care debate, the question of legal liability.

President Bill Clinton has urged Congress to pass a bipartisan health care agenda this fall.

HMO rights, Medicare and other health issues are politically charged: Democrats hope health issues will help them capture Congress next year.

The White House has already proposed providing new tax credits to help pay for long-term care, allowing people with disabilities to keep their health coverage when they return to the work force, and giving patients new rights in dealing with managed health care.

Clinton previously announced the approval of children's health insurance plans for Washington and Wyoming, meaning all 50 states now have approved plans.

The health insurance program for children, approved in 1997, is one of Clinton's strongest achievements in health. It provides $24 billion over five years and is expected to help insure about 2.5 million of the nation's 11 million uninsured children once it is fully implemented

"Health care cannot be a partisan issue," Clinton said earlier this month. "It hasn't been and it shouldn't be."

Vice President Al Gore has also unveiled proposals aimed at bringing millions of uninsured Americans into the health care system, including a plan to give every child in the nation access to affordable health care by 2005.

Gore proposed expanding the Children's Health Insurance Program, which helps states provide coverage to children in working families. States can use the federal CHIP money to cover children in families that earn up to 200 percent of the poverty level.

Gore would also allow families that do not qualify for the program, and do not receive health benefits through their jobs, to buy into the program. He would also provide a 25 percent tax credit to firms to encourage small businesses to band together to negotiate rates for their workers' coverage.

Congressional Correspondent Bob Franken and The Associated Press contributed to this report.