Wyden, Merkley among lawmakers to introduce federal bill to curb private equity in healthcare
BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- Federal lawmakers have introduced legislation modeled on Oregon's first-in-the-nation law to prevent corporate takeovers of medical practices. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley introduced the bill alongside U.S. Reps. Val Hoyle, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Suhas Subramanyam.
The federal bill targets the “straw doctor” model used by private equity firms and corporations to maintain control over clinical practices. It builds upon Oregon Senate Bill 951, which became law in 2025 as the nation's strongest ban on the corporate practice of medicine.
The proposed federal legislation aims to protect patient care and preserve physician independence across the United States. Proponents of the bill state that medical decisions should remain strictly with clinicians rather than corporate executives or private equity investors.
U.S. Sen. Warren emphasized the need for federal legislation following the enactment of the Oregon bill.
“Congress should follow and get private equity out of health care nationwide,” Warren said.
Oregon House Majority Leader Ben Bowman, a chief sponsor of Oregon Senate Bill 951, noted the bipartisan support the state legislation received.
“With big bipartisan majorities, Oregon passed the strongest ban on the corporate practice of medicine in the country,” Bowman said. “Oregon has shown that it's possible to stand up to corporate profiteering in health care and win. Now it's time to take that fight nationwide.”
The Oregon law played a central role earlier this year in stopping Atlanta-based ApolloMD from replacing Eugene Emergency Physicians, a long-standing local emergency medicine group serving PeaceHealth facilities in the Eugene area. When PeaceHealth attempted to replace the local practice with ApolloMD, a federal judge criticized the proposed agreement under the 2025 law. PeaceHealth ultimately agreed to retain Eugene Emergency Physicians.
Oregon state lawmakers highlighted the broader impact of restricting private equity control over clinical settings.
Rep. Nancy Nathanson said the law reinforces that patient care differs from other private commercial sectors.
“Health care isn't a commodity,” Nathanson said. “It's fundamentally different from any other industry. This legislation was about putting patients first and it's encouraging to see that same principle gaining traction at the federal level.”
Oregon state Rep. Lisa Fragala stressed that clinical decisions must remain in the hands of medical professionals.
“When Oregon passed this bill, we made clear that medical decisions belong to clinicians, not private equity,” Fragala said. “The fact that federal lawmakers are now engaging with this issue shows this is not just an Oregon concern, but a national conversation about protecting the integrity of patient care and keeping clinical judgment where it belongs: with doctors and health care professionals.”
