The California Medical Association has issued a statement supporting the recent court decision of Texas Medical Association v. United States Department of Health and Human Services.
The CMA filed a joint curiae brief through the Physicians Advocacy Institute in the case, according to CMA's website Feb. 8.
"As the District Judge in the case noted, the arbitration process developed by HHS placed a thumb on the scale in favor of health plans. " Donaldo Hernandez, MD, president of CMA, said in the statement."HHS's interpretation of the Act would have allowed insurers to set de facto benchmark payment rates for all independent dispute resolution cases rather than allowing independent arbiters to review a range of market payment factors – thereby allowing insurers to boost profits at the expense of physicians and patients."