Independent report says Americans live the sickest lives and die the youngest.

The United States Congress is taking aim at the nation's largest healthcare monopolies following the recent murder of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson, an event that has sparked widespread outrage.

According to media reports, two bipartisan bills propose forcing insurers and healthcare companies to divest their "pharmacy benefit managers" (PBMs) within the next three years. PBMs are intermediaries that manage prescription drug benefits for companies and government agencies.

The Senate proposal, named the Patients Before Monopolies Act, is co-sponsored by Senators Elizabeth Warren and Josh Hawley. A similar bill has also been introduced in the House of Representatives.

However, none of the draft documents has been published on Senate.gov or House.gov.

More to read:
UN report says Nauru and Myanmar lead the world charts on heavy smoking

While the legislation does not explicitly target any specific companies, it is understood that UnitedHealth Group, which owns both UnitedHealthcare and its PBM division, Optum Rx, along with CVS' Caremark and Cigna's Express Scripts, collectively dominate 80% of the U.S.

prescription drug market.

This marks the first legislative effort targeting the insurance industry following Thompson's assassination. Authorities have linked the murder to 26-tear-old Luigi Mangione, who, in a handwritten manifesto, condemned the American healthcare industry.

“Frankly, these parasites simply had it coming. A reminder: the US has the #1 most expensive healthcare system in the world, yet we rank roughly #42 in life expectancy. United is the [indecipherable] largest company in the US by market cap, behind only Apple, Google, Walmart. It has grown and grown, but as our life expectancy?” the manifesto reads among others.

More to read:
Having an argument with your partner? Take a 5-second break

Though lawmakers have refrained from directly referencing Thompson or Mangione in their statements, some senators and representatives – including Warren - acknowledged the public's anger with the U.S. healthcare system while criticizing the use of violence to influence policy.

It remains uncertain whether the bills will gain traction, particularly given their introduction during a lame-duck session. As it often happens in the American legislation labor, many well-intended initiatives fail adoption.

America ranks worst in the world for health care - despite spending trillions, with Americans living the sickest lives and dying the youngest, according to a September 2024 report by the Commonwealth Fund, an independent health care research firm.

***
NewsCafe is an independent outlet that cares about big issues. Our sources of income amount to ads and donations from readers. You can support us via PayPal: office[at]rudeana.com or paypal.me/newscafeeu, or https://buymeacoffee.com/newscafe. Any amount is welcome.