Congressional Voices — 1 of 5 · Republican · Florida
Rep. Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL)
Urologic Surgeon · U.S. House of Representatives · House Hearing on Healthcare Affordability
Why This Statement Matters
Rep. Dunn is a practicing urologic surgeon making a legal argument from the floor of the House: prior authorization is the practice of medicine, which means the entities performing it should carry the same professional liability as the physicians they override. That argument — made by a physician under oath in Congress — is the legal foundation of Clinical Integrity Amendment § 5.
He did not coordinate with Dr. Slaughter, who said the same thing to a phone camera. Neither coordinated with Rep. Dunn's colleague Rep. Murphy, who said vertical integration needs to be demolished. The convergence is the signal.
At a House hearing on healthcare affordability, Rep. Neal Dunn — a urologic surgeon serving in Congress — stated directly that prior authorization constitutes the practice of medicine and that insurers should be held to the same medical liability standard as physicians.
Rep. Dunn was responding to testimony from Dr. David Aizuss, MD, chair of the American Medical Association board of trustees, who described his ophthalmology practice's administrative burden — including two full-time staff hired solely to manage prior authorization requests.
"Prior authorization, whether on the part of an insurance company or whatever, is the practice of medicine. And I would invite them into the medical liability arena. You and I have to pay med-mal insurance, so should they."
— Rep. Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL), urologic surgeon, House hearing on healthcare affordability
Rep. Dunn has not reviewed or endorsed the Clinical Integrity Amendment specifically. This statement represents independent convergence — a Republican physician-congressman arriving at the same accountability mechanism from his own clinical and legislative experience. The argument is arriving from multiple directions simultaneously.
Why this matters for the Clinical Integrity Amendment:
The Amendment's § 5 — Physician Accountability — is built on exactly this premise. If a licensed physician certifies a denial under penalty of perjury and the IRE immediately overturns it, that physician made a false medical determination. Rep. Dunn's statement from the floor — that prior authorization is the practice of medicine — is the legal foundation that makes § 5 coherent. You cannot claim liability immunity for a decision that is, by the admission of a physician-congressman, the practice of medicine.
U.S. House · Under Oath
"Prior authorization, whether on the part of an insurance company or whatever, is the practice of medicine. And I would invite them into the medical liability arena. You and I have to pay med-mal insurance, so should they."
— Rep. Neal Dunn, MD (R-FL) · House hearing
Social Media · Phone Camera
"Doctors make medical decisions and a patient has a bad outcome. We're held accountable. We get sued. Now that insurance companies are making medical decisions for patients without a license — should they be held accountable?"
— Dr. J Mack Slaughter Jr · 22.5K likes
Neither knew the other would say it. The accountability gap is not a fringe argument. It is the shared diagnosis of physicians at every level of public life. Read Dr. Slaughter's full page →
Other Members in This Series