John Conyers: “Mr. Chairman, this amendment effectively prevents negotiations over the quality of health care. It would prohibit…”

“Mr. Chairman, this amendment effectively prevents negotiations over the quality of health care. It would prohibit negotiations regarding fees, payments or reimbursements, and therefore undercuts the whole bill. We do not want a bill or an amendment that forces physicians to provide, quote, ``the least costly,'' unquote, care, or a bill that denies payments to health professionals for care already provided. Mr. Chairman, I am strongly opposed to this amendment, which would require pre-approval from the FTC or the Department of Justice to health care groups which comprise 20 percent or more of a given specialty area for a particular market area before they can engage in collective negotiations. This amendment would gut the bill and decimate the beneficial aspects of the legislation. We have never required a labor union to obtain antitrust pre-approval to have the right to collectively bargain, and there is no reason to require it in the context of health care negotiations. As a matter of fact, such a requirement would be in many respects even more onerous than current law for health care professionals. Unlike Hart-Scott-Rodino, the bill has no time frames or deadlines, so the approval process could go on indefinitely. Delays would be compounded by the provisions allowing for public comment on each application. The amendment could also necessitate large filing fees, which would in essence serve as a tax on health care.”