WASHINGTON, D.C. —Today, U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) and U.S. Representatives Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), and Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12), Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, led 41 of their colleagues in sending a letter commending the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC), and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) for opening a public inquiry into how private equity has impacted health care quality and costs.
The lawmakers wrote: “Private equity firms and other corporate owners are increasingly involved in healthcare system transactions, and, at times, those transactions may lead to a maximizing of profits at the expense of quality care. The cross-government inquiry seeks to understand how certain healthcare market transactions may increase consolidation and generate profits for firms while threatening patients’ health, workers’ safety, quality of care, and affordable healthcare for patients and taxpayers.
“Research has shown that competition in healthcare provider and payer markets promote higher quality, lower cost healthcare, greater access to care, increased innovation, higher wages, and better benefits for healthcare workers,” continued the lawmakers.
The lawmakers also urged the agencies to explore immediate action: “We encourage your agencies to explore ways to immediately provide consumers, health providers, state and local agencies, and the public more information about the funding and ownership structures of healthcare service centers. We believe increased transparency of ownership will provide greater insight into healthcare provider consolidation and the impact it has on healthcare costs, quality of care, and worker conditions.”
While the deadline for public comment has passed, the agencies have posted all comments on regulations.gov and can be read here.
The letter was signed by U.S. Sens. Peter Welch (D-Vt.), Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Mazie Hirono (D-Hawaii), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.), Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.), Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), and Jack Reed (D-R.I.).
In the House, the letter was signed by U.S. Representatives Jerrold Nadler (D-NY-12); Becca Balint (D-VT-At Large), Summer Lee (D-PA-12), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA-05), Pramila Jayapal (D-WA-07), Chris Deluzio (D-PA-17), Judy Chu (D-CA-28), Hank Johnson (D-GA-04), Alexandria Ocasio Cortez (D-NY-14), Nydia Vasquez (D-NY-07), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL-09), Delia Ramirez (D-IL-03), Slyvia Garcia (D-TX-29), Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC-AL), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX-37), Jamaal Bowman (D-NY-16), Sheila Jackson Lee (D-TX-18), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ-12), Raúl M. Grijalva (D-AZ-07), Rosa DeLauro (D-CT-03), Mark Takano (D-CA-39), Ilhan Omar (D-MN-05), James McGovern (D-MA-02), Mark Pocan (D-WI-02), Steve Cohen (D-TN-09), Greg Casar (D-TX-35), Danny Davis (D-IL-07), Lauren Underwood (D-IL-14), Mark Desaulnier (D-CA-10), Adam Smith (D-WA-09), Eric Swalwell (D-CA-14), Ted Lieu (D-CA-36), and Barbara Lee (D-CA-12).
Read the full letter.
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