Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act Introduced in Senate

Tags: antitrust | health insurance | legislation | medical malpractice | Patrick Leahy

Senate Judiciary Chairman Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) introduced S. 1681, the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act, which would "ensure health insurance issuers and medical malpractice insurance issuers cannot engage in price fixing, bid rigging or market allocations to the detriment of competition and consumers," according to the bill.

The bill looks to repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act and would not permit health insurance or medical malpractice issuers from engaging in price fixing, bid rigging or market allocations when providing coverage.

In a statement, Sen. Leahy said, "There is simply no justification for health insurance and medical malpractice insurance companies to be exempt from Federal laws prohibiting price fixing. Subjecting health and medical malpractice insurance providers to the antitrust laws will enable customers to feel confident that the price they are being quoted is the product of a fair marketplace."

Read the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act (pdf).

Read Sen. Leahy's statement on the Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act.

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