Is collective bargaining positive for doctors and patients?
WebMD Feature Union membership, which has been steadily declining in the manufacturing sector of the U.S. economy, might be poised to gain some new ground in the health care industry. Proposed legislation in Pennsylvania and Texas as well as existing laws in Washington state give independent physicians the ability to bargain collectively with HMOs, free of federal antitrust limitations. And neither the Justice Department nor the HMOs — nor even some doctors — are happy about this. One internist in a small general hospital in New York state (who wished not to be named) sees the need for reform. “I know from personal experience that being a physician no longer carries with it the intellectual and financial rewards that it perhaps once did. By improving working conditions and reimbursement, we would once again be able to attract more … people into the field.” Due to the increasing control that HMOs wield over health care, more and more independent doctors want the right to negotiate c
