In an article headlined, "State Legislatures Cool to Collective Negotiation Bills," AMNews, a publication of the American Medical Association, reports that 17 state legislatures have refused to enact their own versions of H.R. 1304 this year. "The states are 0-for-17 in passing such proposals," the publication reported in its June 26 edition, "mirroring the struggles at the federal level."

The article continued:

"State bills that would allow physicians to negotiate fees collectively with insurers aren't having much more luck getting passed than the stalled Campbell bill that considers the same issue in Congress. This year, 17 states have considered collective negotiation bills, but none has passed, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures. Most of those states have closed their legislative sessions for the year."

Among the reasons listed for the failure of states to pass these bills is the opposition of consumer groups, according to AMNews. "Consumer groups are concerned that collective bargaining laws would give physicians too much leverage and result in higher insurance prices," the article stated.

California, home state of H.R. 1304’s lead sponsor, Tom Campbell, is among the 17 states that have rejected Campbell-like legislation. "The [California Medical Association’s] own collective negotiating bill has fared even worse than Campbell's," AMNews reported. "After criticism from consumer groups and heavy lobbying from HMOs, legislators in April dumped collective negotiations and turned the bill into an appeals process with the state that physicians could use for existing contracts. The bill died in late May."