Oct. 3, 2019, Fairfax, Va.—Americans for Limited Government President Rick Manning today issued the following statement blasting House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal’s (D-Mass.) surprise medical billing rate setting proposal:
“What rational person outside of the D.C. Beltway would think it is a good idea to outsource health care rate setting to government bureaucrats and insurance lobbyists? I guess if you have the money for a team of Gucci-shoed lobbyists to push their case to bureaucrats this might be a good idea. If you are a bureaucrat looking for the lucrative landing spot after 30 years of civil service, this is a great idea. But for everyone else, House Ways and Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal’s ‘negotiated rulemaking’ is just another step toward government-run healthcare, restricted access to medical care, a bailout for the health insurances companies that brought us Obamacare, and it will lead to doctor shortages and close healthcare facilities in rural communities.
“Let’s be clear, the best health care reform is to open markets for competition which creates lower costs naturally. Government dictated rate-setting is guaranteed to end up with those who can afford to plead their cases benefitting, those who decide the cases benefitting, and the people who have no voice being forgotten. The last thing our nation needs is more healthcare bureaucrats, yet that is exactly what this proposal creates. It would be laughable if it wasn’t so dangerous.”
Interview Availability: Please contact Americans for Limited Government at 703-383-0880 ext. 1 or at media@limitgov.org.
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