I am here today on behalf of the Antitrust Coalition , an informal coalition of organizations strongly opposed to any statutory changes to the antitrust laws as they relate to health care. Our coalition, which was formed in 1994, consists of representatives of the health plan, hospital, employer, pharmaceutical manufacturer and non-physician provider communities. As you know, Mr. Chairman, legislative proposals to change the current antitrust laws to favor physicians are not new. Congress would have guaranteed physicians the right to form their own networks and limited the ability of the antitrust enforcement agencies to scrutinize these networks for potential anti-competitive behavior. Since August of 1996, numerous physician-sponsored organizations have been formed, many with the blessing of the enforcement agencies.
Consumers benefit from greater choice and price competition.
Now, some in the provider community have renewed their push for special treatment under antitrust law. Simply put, Mr. Chairman, H.R. 4277 is the largest threat to our antitrust laws that we have seen in quite some time. It's simplicity is lethal. With one simple sentence, physicians would allowed to actively engage in price-fixing activities. With one simple sentence, our Century-old antitrust law would be wiped from the books and decades of case law would be moot.