dolution

There are a number of state and federal laws which regulate kickbacks, self-referrals, fee splitting and patient brokering in health care. In many businesses and industries it is perfectly legal to pay referral fees, or to pay marketers based upon the business they bring, or to increase income streams by combining profits from different parts of a supply chain. What is the rationale for treating medicine differently than those other industries? Why does the government get involved in regulating payments to healthcare providers? Do you believe it is fair to make some of the underlying assumptions behind such laws as the Stark Law? Do you believe these laws go too far, or not far enough to protect the health care consumers and payers?