Bill > HR4077

This bill, the Quality Health Care Coalition Act of 2014, aims to protect patient safety and care quality by clarifying how antitrust laws apply to negotiations between groups of healthcare professionals and health plans or insurance issuers. Specifically, it exempts healthcare professionals from federal antitrust laws when they negotiate contract terms with health plans for the services they provide, but this exemption does not grant new rights for collective service stoppages or alter the National Labor Relations Act for those already covered by it. The bill also explicitly states that these exemptions do not apply to negotiations concerning federal programs like Medicare, Medicaid, SCHIP, military healthcare, veterans' medical care, or the federal employees' health benefits program. The bill defines key terms such as "antitrust laws," "health plan," and "health care professional" to ensure clarity in its application.