I would like to see application of Sherman Antitrust laws used against healthcare providers, insurance companies and drug manufacturers to end their price fixing.
Paul Ryan has introduced legislation to exempt health care professionals from Federal antitrust laws:
TITLE VI—Miscellaneous provisions
SEC. 601. Quality health care coalition.
(a) Application of the Federal antitrust laws to health care professionals negotiating with health plans.—
(1) IN GENERAL.—Any health care professionals who are engaged in negotiations with a health plan regarding the terms of any contract under which the professionals provide health care items or services for which benefits are provided under such plan shall, in connection with such negotiations, be exempt from the Federal antitrust laws.
As Karl Denninger eloquently states:
http://market-ticker.org/akcs-www?post=231812
15 United States Code Chapter 1 makes explicitly illegal any sort of price-fixing or collusion where market power exists. It provides both heavy civil ($10 to $100 million per instance) fines for persons and corporations, respectively, and in addition provides for felony criminal penalties of up to 10 years imprisonment for all persons involved.
Ryan’s bill will ensure that current law is not applied to the heath care industry.
Meet the new boss, same as the old boss. They are not fixing healthcare and it will eat us alive with the current rate of growth.