Todd Tiahrt: “I arise today in opposition to H.R. 1304, the Quality Health Care Coalition Act. This may surprise some as I became a…”

“I arise today in opposition to H.R. 1304, the Quality Health Care Coalition Act. This may surprise some as I became a cosponsor of this bill last summer. I strongly believe that we need to improve the quality of and access to our nation's health care system and support measures to do so. I originally felt that exempting negotiations between groups of health care professionals and health from antitrust laws would be an important step towards fostering continued patient safety and quality of care. Upon further reflection, however, I have changed my opinion. Despite its name, I believe that this bill has nothing to do with health care quality and will only impede efforts to improve access and quality. This legislation will be a major burden to employers and employees-- the exact people we should be trying to help. A CBO study shows that the increased costs to health insurance companies as a result of physician collective bargaining will surely be passed on to employers who provide health care coverage to their employees. This will either result in less employers providing coverage or less overall wages and benefits for employees. Neither of these is an acceptable outcome. The costs will not go towards patient care but towards sustaining doctor unionization and salary hikes. This bill also allows for physician boycotts of health plans, an outcome that could have a devastating effect on insurance plans in rural areas that already struggle to survive.”