Health Care Competition, Financial Regulations in Court and Net Neutrality
The House Judiciary Committee votes to strip antitrust protections from health insurance companies who share risk information.
Prominent officials and scholars endorse CEI’s Supreme Court challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley accounting board.
Rep. Marsha Blackburn calls net neutrality regulation the equivalent of a “fairness doctrine” for the Internet.
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI podcast, here.
1. HEALTH
The House Judiciary Committee votes to strip antitrust protections from health insurance companies who share risk information.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Senior Fellow Gregory Conko on why this move will be counterproductive:
“This information sharing practice is pro-competitive. Without it, small competitors would be flying blind, and the result would be less robust competition and higher prices for consumers. Even though some states have highly concentrated health insurance markets, economic research clearly shows there’s no monopolistic pricing because the bigger firms can help drive down physician and hospital costs.”
2. BUSINESS
Prominent officials and scholars endorse CEI’s Supreme Court challenge to the Sarbanes-Oxley accounting board.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Director of the Center for Entrepreneurs John Berlau on the value of the briefs:
“These briefs are especially important in that they coincide with recent academic research showing that Sarbanes-Oxley adversely affects business investment and research-and-development spending and a just-released SEC study showing that Sarbox compliance costs have not decreased for many of the smaller public companies. Sarbox is a significant cost factor holding back job growth and a stronger recovery.”
3. TECHNOLOGY
Rep. Marsha Blackburn calls net neutrality regulation the equivalent of a “fairness doctrine” for the Internet.
CEI Expert Available to Comment: Information Policy Analyst Ryan Radia on why the battling tech giants can take care of themselves without government hand-holding:
“Fears that Internet providers will, absent new rules, stifle user access to content are overblown. If a provider were to, say, block or degrade YouTube videos, its customers would likely revolt and go elsewhere. Or they would adopt encrypted network tunnels, which route around Internet roadblocks. Not every market dispute warrants a government response. Battling giants like Google and AT&T can resolve network tensions by themselves.”
Listen to LibertyWeek, the CEI podcast, here.