Thus, these providers may also benefit from this legislation. There were, however, concerns raised by these groups that H.R. 1304 could permit groups of physicians to negotiate unfair agreements with health plans that could put non-physician providers at a competitive disadvantage. This should address the concerns raised by non-physician health care providers. Over the years, the antitrust laws have, in fact, been enforced in various cases to prohibit specific anti-competitive actions of physicians or other health care professionals. I regard it as essential that the antitrust laws remain effective to maximize consumer choice among all segments of the health care provider community, and this will clearly be the case under H.R. 1304.
Current law favors insurance companies .
Finally, I support H.R. 1304 because current law unfairly favors insurance companies. Not only can insurance companies require health care professionals to sign unfair contracts, but they also benefit from the 1945 McCarran-Ferguson Act, which partially exempts the insurance industry from the federal antitrust laws. Physicians are ideally placed to serve as monitors and watchdogs of the commercial forces that determine so many clinical decisions these days. For the reasons discussed above, I strongly support this legislation. John Conyers, Jr. 1.