Hi.

Quote:

A situation helped by passing new laws and regulations to limit this, but unfortunately as we have talked about, the health care industry has the opposite, the McCarren-Ferguson act makes them EXEMPT from current anti-trust laws!



If this is the problem, I don't understand why the legislators just don't alter this legislation. Why create sweeping reform, and a potentially bigger headache and burden for this country, when this problem may have a more straightforward solution?

Quote:

The McCarran-Ferguson Act does not prevent the federal government from regulating the insurance industry. It provides only that states have broad authority to regulate the insurance industry unless the federal government enacts legislation specifically intended to regulate insurance and to displace state law.



McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945

It appears the feds could make changes, but for whatever reason they choose not to. It would be hard for me to believe, based on what I have read in recent months, that the states want (and might have a significant financial burden) federally mandated insurance. Perhaps some states are for it, but there are others that are against it. I just struggle to see why the wheel must be reinvented if changing this one piece of legislation is the golden ticket to getting health insurers in line.

I'm going to guess the answer lies somewhere with the IRS.

Kind Regards,
Jay

Almost all of us long for peace and freedom; but very few of us have much enthusiasm for the thoughts, feelings, and actions that make for peace and freedom. - Aldous Huxley

Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet, our bodies would be in such keeping as our souls are now. - Thomas Jefferson