House committee passes bill to repeal antitrust exemption for health insurers

The House Judiciary Committee today approved by voice vote the Competitive Health Insurance Reform Act (H.R. 372), AHA-supported legislation to repeal the antitrust exemption available to health insurers for anticompetitive conduct, including price fixing, bid rigging and market allocation. Introduced last month by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) with 19 co-sponsors, the bill would apply to health insurance issuers the same federal antitrust laws and policies that apply in other sectors to protect competition and consumers. Later today, the committee is expected to hold a final vote on the Protecting Access to Care Act (H.R. 1215), AHA-supported legislation to reform the medical liability system based on a proven model of reform enacted decades ago in California.