Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Pat Leahy (D-VT) introduced legislation today “to repeal health and medical malpractice insurers’ exemption from federal antitrust laws,” Congressional Quarterly reports.
The draft legislation, sponsored by Patrick J. Leahy , D-Vt., would subject health insurers to antitrust regulation by the Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission. Leahy said the measure would help make the health insurance industry more competitive and potentially drive down costs.
“In the markets for health insurance and medical malpractice insurance, patients and doctors are paying the price, as costs continue to increase at an alarming rate,” Leahy said in a statement. “Insurers should not object to being subject to the same antitrust laws as everyone else.”
If the bill “was to advance, it would add the Senate Judiciary Committee to the mix of committees considering health care overhaul legislation.”
It’s called the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act.
Congress in Your Pocket
