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Senate Challenges Collusion by Medical Malpractice Insurance Companies

In the last several days there have been encouraging stories in the media reporting that the U.S. Senate, as it mulls over the health care reform bill, is pushing hard to prevent health and medical malpractice insurance companies from fixing prices.

In 1945 Congress allowed insurers to become exempt from anti-trust regulations that guard against price-fixing. In a letter to President Obama, Senate leaders urged him to support the repeal of these exemptions, pointing out “These acts hurt consumers, drive up health care costs, and should be prohibited in the health insurance industry, as they are in virtually every other industry.”

As I've stated in previous blog posts, limiting injured persons' right to recover, otherwise known as "tort reform", bears little to no relation to a decrease in health costs through lowering medical malpractice premiums. Preventing insurance companies from making back-room deals to fix prices and keep premiums artificially high, however, is bound to have an appreciable, positive effect on the affordability of health care.

If you agree, contact your senator in short order and say so.

If you or a loved one has been injured by the negligence of another, contact click here to email an experienced lawyer at Williamson and Lavecchia or call us at (804) 288-1661 to protect your rights.