The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act of 2026
.
…The bill was introduced [September 16] by Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Massachusetts) with the support of 12 other members of the Senate and House. The legislation was based on a law in Oregon aimed at beating back the corporate takeover of health care providers that took effect this year. The law has already been successfully used by physicians in Eugene to prevent a corporate takeover.
Warren’s bill would ban for-profit corporations like private equity funds and insurance companies from owning medical practices, while also prohibiting entities known as management services organizations, which conduct business operations for practices, from controlling such offices.
Such a prohibition could help stanch the rapid rise in health care costs. Between 2000 and 2024, KFF found, costs for medical care far outpaced costs for goods and services at large, increasing by 121 percent compared to 86 percent for the rest of the consumer price index.
The growing grip of private equity on health care, like in other sectors, has played a major role in this rise in costs….
More at the truthout link.
.
A few days ago, from Medscape the professional arm of WebMD, free to read/no paywall, but you may have to register to get access.
As Oregon goes, so goes the nation. That’s the hope of a Democratic US senator who wants to limit private equity’s role in healthcare via legislation modeled on the Beaver State’s strict policies.
The [The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act of 2026] introduced this month by Senator[s Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, alongside Representatives Val Hoyle (D-Ore.), Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, and Suhas Subramanyam, with others], aims to tightly control who can own a medical practice or contract for medical services.
“It is a federal override,” said Chicago attorney John Saran, JD, a partner with the law firm of Holland & Knight. “These legislators think the Oregon model is what is needed right now.”
The bill’s chances are slim while Republicans control Congress. Still, the legislation reflects a growing skepticism that’s playing out nationwide as states pass their own laws regulating private equity’s role in healthcare….
From www.warren.senate.gov:
The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act would ban corporations and private equity from owning physicians.
The bill is modeled on the landmark Oregon law that physicians have already used to successfully challenge corporate takeovers.
Over 80 percent of doctors in the United States are employed by corporate entities—including private equity firms and insurers—up from 62 percent in 2019. Despite prohibitions on the corporate practice of medicine in over thirty states, private equity firms, insurers, and other corporate entities have exploited legal loopholes that allow them to circumvent these restrictions to the detriment of clinicians and patients.
…corporate entities often assume control over clinical operations, management and staffing decisions, and billing and coding practices—all of which can exert pressure on physicians to change care delivery.
The Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act ensures health care decisions are made by physicians—not private equity firms, insurance companies, or other corporate actors. The legislation:
Bans the corporate practice of medicine by making it illegal for private equity funds, insurance companies, and other for-profit corporations to own or control medical practices;
Closes the “friendly physician” loophole that has allowed investor-backed corporations to evade state-level bans on the corporate practice of medicine and control medical practices through MSOs;
Prohibits an MSO from controlling a medical practice through a “friendly” or “captive” physician, or by taking over business, administrative, and clinical functions such as hiring and firing, work schedules, compensation, disbursement of revenue or setting of revenue targets, billing practices, contracting, and other services;
Ensures that physicians retain ultimate control of medical practices by requiring that physician owners are meaningfully engaged in providing medical care in the state in which their practice is located; and
Protects physician independence by prohibiting corporate interference with clinical decisions and banning restrictive contract terms, such as non-compete agreements, nondisclosure agreements, and non-disparagement agreements.
“Patients want to know that decisions about their health are being made by their doctors, not by Wall Street investors,” said Senator Warren. “If we’re going to lower costs and un-rig the health care system, we need to stop the corporate takeover of medicine.”
More TERRIFIC detail at the warren.senate.gov link.
____________________________________________________________
UPDATES
Oct 2, 2026 Med Law Blog https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/stop-corporate-takeovers-of-physicians-2709671/ Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act Explained
Oct 2, 2026 https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/under-new-management-not-so-fast-2563975/ Under new management? Not so fast: Federal CPOM bill targets MSO structures, ‘friendly physician’ model
We’ll get straight to the point: The financial hardships that Daily Kos is facing this year are tough.
We continue to be paywall-free. We continue to be supported by our readers, not billionaires or corporations. But we need to bring in more revenue. We are leaning on our community more than ever to help make ends meet.
Top Stories Newsletter.