John Conyers: “Mr. Chairman, we are dealing with a trinity of health care bills, the Prescription Drug bill, the Patients' Bill of…”

“Mr. Chairman, we are dealing with a trinity of health care bills, the Prescription Drug bill, the Patients' Bill of Rights, and this modest antitrust exemption for doctors. Now, please remember, this is a labor exemption. The antitrust legislation was written for capital corrections and guidance. But what we are doing here is doing what the doctors need to be able to discuss how between HMO administrators and other professionals that they are now being restricted in their ability to make decisions for their patients. We all know about this problem. We now have the opportunity to deal with this question, and all I would like my colleagues to keep in mind is that the time has come. For several years now we have brought this measure forward. We are now debating it. Most Americans receive their health insurance coverage through managed care plans, but we have seen the massive coalitions and consolidations of the managed care market to just a dozen health insurance competitors. As a result of this market concentration, we need to give some relief to these doctors. They are really feeling the pinch. They are depending on us. And, by the way, so are the patients. The decisions that the doctors make in the patient-doctor relationship are under a severe test at this present point. So we respond to this problem by allowing medical professionals to jointly negotiate the terms of their contract with health care plans. There is a 3-year sunset on the bill.”