Democratic platform task force urges tougher M& A scrutiny

A TASK FORCE of liberal and progressive healthcare experts advising presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden recommended that the party adopt a platform that includes a public insurance option, a crackdown on hospital mergers, and measures to lower healthcare costs.

The outline comes weeks before the Democratic National Convention is scheduled to open in Milwaukee next month. Members of the panel, chosen by Biden and his foremost rival during the primaries, Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), were tasked with reconciling differences between moderate and progressive policy agendas.

Providers have been anxiously awaiting details about how they might be paid under Biden’s public insurance option. The task force proposal said the plan would achieve cost savings by negotiating prices with doctors and hospitals “just like Medicare.”

The public option would be open to all Americans regardless of whether they were offered insurance through their employer and would not have deductibles or co-payments for primary care. It would be available without premiums to low-income individuals in states that have not yet expanded Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act. Low-income individuals who aren’t eligible for Medicaid would be auto-enrolled in the public option.

The task force also supported Biden’s plan to lower the Medicare eligibility age to 60 instead of 65.

One of the task force’s recommendations on lowering healthcare costs is pursuing antitrust lawsuits against hospital, insurance and pharmaceutical companies. “We will vigorously use antitrust laws to fight against mega-mergers in the hospital, insurance, and pharmaceutical industries that would raise prices for patients by undermining market competition,” the group wrote.

As part of that, the task force wrote that it “will direct federal regulators to review a subset of the mergers and acquisitions that have taken place since President Trump took office.” ●