ANTITRUST COALITION FOR CONSUMER CHOICE IN HEALTH CARE
1150 17th St., N.W.
Suite 601
Washington, D.C. 20036
(202) 721-0363
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim Edwards 202-452-8300, ext. 415
June 7, 2000
Antitrust Coalition Statement on the AMA's Letter to Congress Misrepresenting Antitrust Bill's Effects
(Washington) -The American Medical Association, in a letter to House members today, claims that "H.R. 1304 is the solution." But if the Campbell "OPEC for Doctors" bill is the answer, it must be a question of doctors advancing their own self-interest.
The only cartels in health care today are those illegally formed by medical practitioners, and prosecuted by the Federal Trade Commission and the Department of Justice under current antitrust law. Proponents of H.R. 1304 seek a blanket antitrust exemption for themselves so they can legally form cartels, price-fix and boycott.
For example, Austin, Texas, surgeons recently settled illegal boycott charges the FTC brought precisely because such anticompetitive behavior is illegal under the antitrust laws. This illegal boycott cost patients, employers and health plans more than $1 million in higher costs for surgical services in 1998 and 1999.
Or consider the illegal price-fixing and boycotting scheme of Wisconsin's chiropractors. Or consider the 1,800 Puerto Rican dentists who settled FTC charges of price-fixing, boycotting providers and restraining truthful advertising.
The Antitrust Coalition for Consumer Choice in Health Care includes nurses, other nonphysician providers, employers, health plans and insurers - none of whom is seeking an exemption from the antitrust laws.
The antitrust laws protect consumers and promote competition. To suspend those laws and allow medical cartels to rule would increase health costs, increase the number of uninsured, diminish competition and consumer choice, reduce quality and dampen innovation.
OPEC for doctors serves the interests of no one but the bank accounts of doctors themselves. Don't just take the word of the Antitrust Coalition. Just ask the Congressional Budget Office, the FTC, the DOJ, the Consumer Federation of America, the Democratic Leadership Council and the American Legislative Exchange Council.
Don't be fooled by false assertions from proponents. H.R. 1304 is "OPEC for Doctors," and legalized cartels are bad for consumers and patients.