Warren and AOC Introduce Bill Banning Corporations From Owning Doctors' Practices
Senator Elizabeth Warren and Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez want to stop private equity firms, insurance companies and other for-profit corporations from owning doctors' practices. Their new bill is one of the broadest proposals yet on who is allowed to run American medicine.
On September 16, 2026, they introduced the Stop Corporate Takeovers of Physicians Act. The co-sponsors are Senators Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley of Oregon and Representatives Val Hoyle of Oregon and Suhas Subramanyam of Virginia, all Democrats.
The bill would create a federal ban on the corporate practice of medicine. Private equity funds, insurers and other for-profit companies could no longer own or control medical practices. It would also close what supporters call the "friendly physician" loophole, where a company puts a doctor's name on a practice while a management services company it controls makes the business decisions, from staffing to billing.
Many states already have their own bans on the corporate practice of medicine, but those rules vary and the loophole has let companies work around them. The bill would set one national standard that applies in every state.
The numbers behind the bill show how fast medicine has changed. According to the sponsors, 80 percent of U.S. doctors are now employed by corporate entities, up from 62 percent in 2019. Separate research from the Physicians Advocacy Institute found about 152,000 fewer doctors running independent practices in January 2026 than in 2018, while 253,000 more had become employees of hospitals or corporate entities.
Supporters say that shift has led to higher prices, rushed appointments and less time with patients. Industry groups argue that outside investment keeps struggling practices open, pays for new equipment, and helps doctors in rural areas who could not afford to stay independent. Some doctors also prefer a salary to running a small business.
"Patients want to know that decisions about their health are being made by their doctors, not by Wall Street investors. If we're going to lower costs and un-rig the health care system, we need to stop the corporate takeover of medicine," Warren said.
Ocasio-Cortez said she was proud to co-lead the bill "to get Wall Street out of Americans' doctors' offices." It would also ban noncompete agreements for health care workers, which can stop doctors and nurses from taking a job nearby when they leave.
Three of the sponsors come from Oregon, which in June 2025 passed what legal experts called the nation's strictest limits on private equity in doctors' practices. That state law, Senate Bill 951, took effect on January 1, 2026.
Federal regulators have also looked at the issue. In 2023 the Federal Trade Commission sued private equity firm Welsh, Carson, Anderson and Stowe over its buying up of anesthesia practices in Texas.
Republicans control both the House and the Senate, so the bill's path forward is uncertain.
Do you support banning corporations from owning doctors' practices? YES OR NO?
