Rodriguez Votes For Competition And Fairness In The Healthcare Industry

Statement

U.S. Congressman Ciro D. Rodriguez (TX-23) voted Wednesday for the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act, which will provide greater choice to Americans when selecting health insurance. "Competition and a healthy marketplace have always been the cornerstones of our nation's economy. That's why we have laws in place that keep industries from concentrating too much power and disenfranchising the American people," Congressman Rodriguez said. "This bill will subject the healthcare industry to the same anti-trust standards other industries must meet. It's about expanding choices for consumers, which should improve quality and lower costs in the long-run." The healthcare industry has been exempt from anti-trust laws for more than six decades and the federal government was prohibited from investigating for evidence of price-fixing and other unfair practices. In the last 14 years there have been 400 mergers, resulting in 96 percent of all health insurance markets being highly concentrated. This has prevented consumers from choosing between insurance companies and made it easy for companies to fix prices and standardize unfair practices. "If we are asking the American people to be patient while we get our economy back on track, we must pass laws that put money back into their pockets," Congressman Rodriguez said. "This bill will do that." The Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act is supported by the American Hospital Association, the American Nurses Association, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Consumers Union, the Consumer Federation of America, the Center for Justice and Democracy and U.S. PIRG (the federation of state Public Interest Research Groups).

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