The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on the Judiciary held a hearing on Competition and Antitrust on July 27. The witnesses, the Hon. Christine Varney, assistant attorney general for Antitrust at the U.S. Department of Justice, and the Hon. Jon Leibowitz, chairman of the Federal Trade Commission, testified before the committee and answered questions about competition and antitrust issues.

Varney stated at a June 9, 2010, Senate hearing on "Oversight of the Enforcement of the Antitrust Laws" that she appreciated the support the Obama administration was offering in efforts to eliminate antitrust immunity for the health-insurance industry. At another conference in May, where she spoke with the American Bar Association, Varney had similar things to say about the health insurance industry, including how she fully supported the House's vote to repeal the McCarran-Ferguson Act. She supports competition in the health insurance field and the outlawing of price fixing, big rigging and market allocation.

The Automotive Service Association supports repeal of the McCarran-Ferguson Act for all insurers, including property and casualty insurers. H.R. 1583, the Insurance Industry Competition Act, sponsored by Rep. Peter DeFazio, D-Ore., and Rep. Gene Taylor, D-Miss., has been introduced in the U.S. House of Representatives. This legislation addresses ASA's concerns with the McCarran-Ferguson Act.

For additional information about ASA, including past news releases, go to www.asashop.org, or visit ASA's legislative website at www.takingthehill.com.