House holds hearing on bill to repeal antitrust exemption for health insurers

The House Judiciary Committee today held a subcommittee hearing on legislation to repeal the antitrust exemption available to health insurers for anticompetitive conduct, including price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation. The Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 372), introduced last month by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) with 19 co-sponsors, would apply to health insurance issuers the same federal antitrust laws and policies that apply in other sectors to protect competition and consumers. Testifying at the hearing were Gosar and cosponsor Rep. Austin Scott (R-GA); Thomas Miller, resident fellow with the American Enterprise Institute; antitrust attorney David Balto; Robert Woody, vice president of policy for the Property Casualty Insurers Association of America; and George Slover, senior policy counsel for Consumers Union.