551- 9

Assignment for Lesson 9

Given the details provided in the Payments Sunshine Act, I favor leaving the law as it is currently. This is because before the Act was passed, some of the medical device manufacturers used to make huge payments to influential people in the medical facilities to receive favors. The favors include using the influential people to compel health care facilities consider medical devices from specific companies. These favors harm other medical device facility manufacturers who are not in a position to make such payments. However, with the Act in place, manufacturers will be forced to report payments made to any person provided it exceeds $10. When this is disclosed, the federal can investigate the reasons behind such payments to determine if they are legal or illegal.

In some cases, medical devices and pharmaceutical manufacturers give doctors kickbacks. The kickbacks are meant to either recommend prescription of drugs from particular companies or compel the healthcare facilities to buy specified medical devices from known manufacturers. It is illegal when these kickbacks are given to influence certain actions in favor of the manufacturers. However, when the manufacturers know that they will have to disclose all the payments made, they will refrain from giving kickbacks as they have to explain the reason for making the payments. Therefore, to avoid actions like favors, kickbacks and others meant to give some companies undesired benefits, I prefer leaving the Act as it is to help the government uncover illegal payments made.

Likewise, I support making disclosure to payments of value over $10. This is because if the intention by the manufacturers is to receive favors, they can make multiple payments valued $10 and below. Thus, payments of $10 and above must be reported for the federal to investigate reasons for such payments.