Either provide medical treatment to people at prices we set, or lose your license to practice medicine in Massachusetts. Both bills in question are Senate Bill 2170 and House Bill 4452 contain such language. Both the House Billand Senate Bill contain the following:
Every health care provider licensed in the commonwealth which provides covered services to a person covered under “Affordable Health Plans” must provide such service to any such person, as a condition of their licensure, and must accept payment at the lowest of the statutory reimbursement rate …
This comes as no surprise given the long waits and poor access to medical care in Massachusetts. It would not surprise me of federal authorities proposed the same for Medicare, given the poor access to doctors Medicare recipients endure.
It’s no surprise given the morality of need that dominates public policy these days. As Don Watkins notes:
But it isn’t unbelievable–not if you view need as an entitlement. If a Medicare patient’s need of health care entitles him to it, then why should a doctor have the right to refuse service just because the doctor won’t make money? Wouldn’t that be selfish and greedy?
Here’s the call to action by the Massachusetts Medical Society to oppose this bill.
(via the Ayn Rand Center for Individual Rights, via FIRM)
