H.R. 4626

Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act

Latest

II

Calendar No. 277

111th CONGRESS

2d Session

H. R. 4626

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 25, 2010

Received

February 26, 2010

Read the first time

March 1, 2010

Read the second time and placed on the calendar

AN ACT

To restore the application of the Federal antitrust laws to the business of health insurance to protect competition and consumers.

1.

Short title

This Act may be cited as the Health Insurance Industry Fair Competition Act.

2.

Restoring the application of antitrust laws to health sector insurers

(a)

Amendment to McCarran-Ferguson Act

Section 3 of the Act of March 9, 1945 (15 U.S.C. 1013), commonly known as the McCarran-Ferguson Act, is amended by adding at the end the following:

(c)

Nothing contained in this Act shall modify, impair, or supersede the operation of any of the antitrust laws with respect to the business of health insurance. For purposes of the preceding sentence, the term antitrust laws has the meaning given it in subsection (a) of the first section of the Clayton Act, except that such term includes section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act to the extent that such section 5 applies to unfair methods of competition.

.

(b)

Related Provision

For purposes of section 5 of the Federal Trade Commission Act (15 U.S.C. 45) to the extent such section applies to unfair methods of competition, section 3(c) of the McCarran-Ferguson Act shall apply with respect to the business of health insurance without regard to whether such business is carried on for profit, notwithstanding the definition of Corporation contained in section 4 of the Federal Trade Commission Act.

Passed the House of Representatives February 24, 2010.

Lorraine C. Miller,

Clerk

March 1, 2010

Read the second time and placed on the calendar