Would You Be Okay with Unlicensed Health Care Professionals?

The Koch brothers believe that government excessively regulates labor laws. Yes, they despise unions.

But now that the Kochs have killed labor laws in states such as Wisconsin and Iowa, they want more: They want to deregulate professions that require skills-testing, educational requirements, and state-enforced standards.

In 2017, the Koch’s proxy group—with the Orwellian name, Americans for Prosperity— introduced a bill in the Iowa state house.

As reported by the Des Moines Register: “The bill would have substituted undefined registration for formal licensure for dietitians, athletic trainers, funeral directors, mental health counselors, marital therapists, social workers, speech pathologists and audiologists. It would have ended all licensure requirements for respiratory therapists, massage therapists, hearing-aid specialists, barbers and interior designers… Professionals told legislators Monday that the licensure requirements ensure proper training and oversight. The licenses also are required by many public and private insurance plans that pay for health-care services, they said.

…

“It’s a safeguard for the public,’ said Kenneth Cameron, a mental health counselor for Aspire Counseling Center in Des Moines. Without licenses, he said, counselors would be laughed at if they tried to submit bills to insurance companies. ‘Are you kidding me? It would never happen.”’ 

Every Democrat opposed the bill. Republicans were split. Thankfully, a sensible Republican tore up the bill in a public hearing. He said he received over 3,500 phone calls and emails—every single one opposing the Koch-sponsored bill.