“The recent economic crisis showed all of us that corporations do not act responsibly without adequate oversight,” Sen. Leahy said in the release. “It is important to remember that there is another industry that is not required even to play by the same rules of competition as everyone else. Benefiting from a six-decade-old special interest exemption, the health insurance industry is not subject to the Nation’s antitrust laws. We can surely agree that health insurers should not be allowed to collude to fix prices and allocate markets.”
The Health Insurance Industry Antitrust Enforcement Act aims to overturn the industry’s long-held exemption from federal antitrust laws, according to the release. In March, Sen. Leahy and 22 Senators sent a letter to the Senate Majority urging him to set a vote on the measure.
The repeal is supported by the Consumer Federation of America, the American Hospital Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Dental Association, according to the release. Attorneys General from nine states sent a letter to Sen. Leahy in November indicating strong support for the measure.
Read Sen. Leahy’s release on repealing the health insurance industry’s antitrust exemption.
