Thread: Paul Ryan’s repeal and replace allows restraint of trade and price fixing to continue

I found no repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act in Paul Ryan’s REPEAL AND REPLACE PLAN

Without a repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act, the State Legislatures and Insurance Companies will still be able to thwart competition across state lines and “legally” engage in price fixing, restraint of interstate trade and commerce, and monopolizing in the insurance industry within each State’s borders, which are indictable offenses under United States v. South-Eastern Underwriters Association, 322 U.S. 533 (1944),.

We all knew that Paul Ryan is the Washington Establishment's darling, and now we find his plan gives the Insurance industry a green light to thwart Congress’ power to regulate commerce among the states which was delegated to specifically insure “free trade” among the States.

JWK


Millions of citizens have lost their health-care under Obamacare, and many more millions cannot use Obamacare because of Obamacare’s outrageous premiums and deductible. Repeal and replace Obamacare with nothing, and repeal McCarran-Ferguson.

House Speaker Paul Ryan SAID the bill would "drive down costs, encourage competition…” Ryan is full of bull-crap-ski. There is no repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act which is necessary to restore competition in the insurance industry.

On the other hand, Sen. Rand Paul, said the bill "looks like ObamaCare Lite to me ... It's going to have to be better."

I agree with Sen. Rand Paul!

JWK



American citizens are sick and tired of being made into taxslaves and forced to finance the personal economic needs of millions of foreigners who have invaded America’s borders.

The fact is, Ryan's plan does nothing to introduce competition across state lines and allows the insurance industry to continue in its evil ways. If Trump supports this piece of crap he will have reneged on one of his big promises!

The proposal also does nothing to stop illegal aliens from receiving taxpayer financed health-care.


JWK



American citizens are sick and tired of being made into tax slaves and forced to finance the personal economic needs of millions of foreigners who have invaded America’s borders.

I heard Louie Gohmert saying on CNN or Fox last night that they need to repeal McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945, but that it has to be done separately but needs to be done right away. I've always thought it had to be done separately because the McCarran-Ferguson Act covers insurance other than health insurance, and there's some attempt here by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare as part of a reconciliation method of passing it to avoid the 60 cloture vote requirement in the US Senate to bring the bill to a vote.

So Republicans are on top of the issue of McCarran-Ferguson, but Gohmert is the first person I've heard call the bill by name on television. I hope more do so, and I hope our new President tweets about repealing McCarran-Ferguson Act now. No need to wait, repeal it now.

Originally Posted by Judy

I heard Louie Gohmert saying on CNN or Fox last night that they need to repeal McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945, but that it has to be done separately but needs to be done right away. I've always thought it had to be done separately because the McCarran-Ferguson Act covers insurance other than health insurance, and there's some attempt here by Republicans to repeal and replace Obamacare as part of a reconciliation method of passing it to avoid the 60 cloture vote requirement in the US Senate to bring the bill to a vote.

So Republicans are on top of the issue of McCarran-Ferguson, but Gohmert is the first person I've heard call the bill by name on television. I hope more do so, and I hope our new President tweets about repealing McCarran-Ferguson Act now. No need to wait, repeal it now.

Judy,

As I understand it, during the current Bill’s writing there was bi-partisanship support and passage of a provision to repeal a section of the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 with respect to health insurance, and it was included in the current Bill while in committee. In fact, while the Democrats controlled the House during the 111^thCongress this desire to address McCarran-Ferguson passed with over 400 votes in favor! It also passed during the Republican control of the House during the 112^th Congress by a voice vote. But somewhere along the line it was removed from the current Bill and there was absolutely no reason to remove it because of its bi-partisan support. It appears there is evil afoot and someone is protecting the health insurance industry from cross-state competition.

If Trump does not come out and demand a repeal of McCarran - Ferguson be included with respect to health insurance, you can bet your bottom dollar Trump has deceived us or someone is flimflamming and conning Trump!

JWK




Millions of citizens have lost their health-care under Obamacare, and many more millions cannot use Obamacare because of Obamacare’s outrageous premiums and deductible. Repeal and replace Obamacare with nothing, and repeal McCarran-Ferguson.

I think this is the source of the evil that's afoot:

GOP Congress Should Stop the Competitive Health Insurance Act

DIARY / Dean Chambers // Posted at 12:29 pm on February 26, 2017 by Dean Chambers

While the American people grow increasingly frustrated with the GOP Congress’ slow pace at repealing Obamacare, some Republicans are now pushing a new regulatory scheme on health insurance companies that comes straight from the playbook of Nancy Pelosi and Elizabeth Warren.

On Tuesday, the House Judiciary Committee is scheduled to mark-up H.R. 372, the so-called Competitive Health Insurance Act of 2017 introduced by Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ), to make crony GOP donors’ regulatory dream a reality.

The Gosar bill would throw conservative principles to the wayside by amending the McCarran-Ferguson Act of 1945 to bring health insurance companies under federal antitrust oversight.

Federalizing health insurance has been a long-sought liberal goal. In fact, a Democrat version of the Gosar bill passed in 2010 when Nancy Pelosi was Speaker of the House. At the time, Politico said the legislation was an “attack on insurers.” Sen. Chuck Schumer said lack of federal control was “one of the worst accidents of American history,” that “deserves a lot of the blame for the huge rise in premiums that has made health insurance so unaffordable.” Pelosi said the bill was necessary because insurance companies needed to be “reined in.”

Rep. Gosar claims that the antitrust exemption given by McCarran-Ferguson to the health insurance industry was intended to assist newly established insurance companies, and that this exemption is no longer needed. While the bill would allow for selling insurance over state lines, it is completely unnecessary to repeal McCarran-Ferguson in order for this to occur.

Democrats have long endorsed bringing health insurance under the antitrust umbrella as a means of stopping the “obscene” profits they say are enjoyed by the health insurance providers. Democrats believe that repealing this exemption would lower costs by subjecting insurance industry profits to antitrust scrutiny under McCarran-Ferguson.

Gosar and his liberal cohorts couldn’t be more wrong. The CBO has reviewed past versions of this legislation and concluded that exemptions such as those in the Gosar bill “would have no significant effect on the premiums that private insurers would charge for health insurance.” The CBO also predicted that such provisions might lead to additional litigation that could result in higher premiums.

The House Judiciary Committee has scheduled a markup on the Gosar legislation for this week. The GOP should push to stop these changes with all its might, because increasing the federal power to regulate health insurance would completely eliminate states’ rights in this area.

Thankfully, it appears that the big guns in the Republican Party are already onto Gosar’s statist games. When his bill originally passed under the Democratic controlled Congress, one of its chief opponents was Speaker of the House Paul Ryan. Likewise, Rep. Bob Goodlatte (R-VA), Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee and a staunch supporter of the Tenth Amendment, should see that passing such legislation undermining states’ rights in health care policy clearly undermines what he so strongly stands for in regards to federalism and limiting the authority of the federal government.

Should the bill make it to the Senate, constitutional conservative Sens. Mike Lee (R-UT) and Rand Paul (R-KY) should take the lead in opposing this federal power-grab.

Last week at CPAC, Vice President Mike Pence called for the ability of consumers to purchase health insurance across state lines, comparable to what is already be done with auto insurance. This is a great idea that would increase consumer choice and lower premiums, but enacting legislation like the Gosar bill would make this nearly impossible.

Enacting legislation like the Gosar bill would likely create unintended consequences that will undermine the primary goals of the Trump-Pence administration. Eliminating the antitrust exemption is not only unnecessary, it is a corporatist giveaway that could lead to an anti-competitive oligarchy.

There are many issues and concerns that should be carefully examined before enacting legislation to eliminate the exemption to McCarran-Ferguson, and Republicans should send these bills back to be more thoroughly examined in committee hearings before rushing to railroad something this destructive through Congress.

http://www.redstate.com/diary/qstarw...insurance-act/

Here is Dean Chambers, "conservative blogger:

https://www.google.com/search?q=imag...mH2uFXQcnY6fM:

Eliminating the antitrust exemption is not only unnecessary, it is a corporatist giveaway that could lead to an anti-competitive oligarchy. -- Dean Chambers

The complete opposite of what is actually true. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act when enforced PREVENTS oligarchy and anti-competitive behavior.

I've posted for 12 years about our Period of Ironies and Opposites and yes, we have it well-entrenched everywhere even in "conservative" circles. It's why there's a difference between a "conservative blogger" and the Republican Party. The Republican Party under Teddy Roosevelt passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to protect consumers, citizens and small to medium-sized businesses from being gobbled up or put out of business by mammoth companies seeking monopoly.

Originally Posted by Judy

The complete opposite of what is actually true. The Sherman Anti-Trust Act when enforced PREVENTS oligarchy and anti-competitive behavior.

I've posted for 12 years about our Period of Ironies and Opposites and yes, we have it well-entrenched everywhere even in "conservative" circles. It's why there's a difference between a "conservative blogger" and the Republican Party. The Republican Party under Teddy Roosevelt passed the Sherman Anti-Trust Act to protect consumers, citizens and small to medium-sized businesses from being gobbled up or put out of business by mammoth companies seeking monopoly.

Judy,

We all know the very reason for granting power to Congress to “regulate commerce among the States” was to insure free trade among the states and prevent a State Legislature to impose discriminatory law upon out of state business entities doing business within a state which South Carolina did by imposing an annual tax of 3 percent on the premiums of out of state business entities doing business in South Carolina. Because of McCarran-Ferguson, our Supreme Court upheld this type of discriminatory law which is designed to disrupt free trade among the States and snuff out competition. See PRUDENTIAL INS.CO. vs. BENJAMIN (1946).

Why is Fox News not doing a segment on the history which ledto McCarran-Ferguson, and why it must be repealed in order to restore freetrade among the states with regard to insurance?


JWK

Very informative. Thank you.

I heard Louie Gohmert mention the McCarran-Ferguson Act yesterday, too.

Trump tweeted on Fox and Friends this morning that erasing the lines, repealing McCarran Ferguson, will be in stage 2 of a 3 step process they have lined up for repealing and replacing Obamacare with a better system.

Trump will do everything he can to repeal McCarran-Ferguson.