Legislative Action Center
S. 350 would repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act’s antitrust exemption for health insurance companies. This would empower the Federal Trade Commission and U.S. Department of Justice to enforce the full range of federal antitrust laws against health insurance companies engaged in anticompetitive conduct.
When health insurance companies are permitted to disregard antitrust principles, prices for patients can go up, coverage can go down, and reimbursements rates don’t always keep up with costs. This bipartisan bill is narrowly drawn to apply only to the business of health insurance and would not affect the business of life insurance, property or casualty insurance, or many similar insurance areas.
Passage of S. 350 would help interject more competition into the insurance marketplace by authorizing greater federal antitrust enforcement in instances where state regulators do not act. When competition is not robust, consumers are more likely to face higher prices and less likely to benefit from innovation and variety in the marketplace.
When health insurance companies are permitted to disregard antitrust principles, prices for patients can go up, coverage can go down, and reimbursements rates don’t always keep up with costs. This bipartisan bill is narrowly drawn to apply only to the business of health insurance and would not affect the business of life insurance, property or casualty insurance, or many similar insurance areas.
Passage of S. 350 would help interject more competition into the insurance marketplace by authorizing greater federal antitrust enforcement in instances where state regulators do not act. When competition is not robust, consumers are more likely to face higher prices and less likely to benefit from innovation and variety in the marketplace.