Photo: Jay Willett/WBZ NewsRadio
WATERTOWN, Mass. (WBZ NewsRadio) — Senator Elizabeth Warren is hoping to tighten the leash on private equity in the name of affordable pet care.
As Warren continues her campaign of inspecting private equity’s reach across the board, she met with veterinarians and staff at Heal Veterinary Clinic in Watertown, Mass. She claims private equity firms that buy-out clinics raise costs for consumers, while worsening staff working conditions and quality of care.
“Private equity has now bought abut 30 percent of veterinary practices in the United States,” said Warren. “We’re talking about the care of beloved family members and private equity should not be squeezing our vets and should not be squeezing our pets.”
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Co-owner of the Heal Veterinary Clinic, Doctor Amanda Leef, said she is in favor of Warren’s push for more oversight on private equity’s reach.
“It’s not fair to clients to just continually offset things to people that you can pay less money too,” said Dr. Leef. “I think that that quality of care, when you can’t actually have a conversation with the owner, denigrates the quality of the care you give to that patient.”
Back on June 11, Warren introduced the Corporate Crimes Against Health Care Act with the hope of preventing “exploitive private equity practices.”
WBZ's Jay Willett (@JayWillettWBZ) reports.
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