The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition is excited to announce that, in partnership with UC Berkeley’s Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health Care Markets and Consumer Welfare, we are unveiling a brand new interactive “Market Consolidation” key issue page that presents evidence-based information and analyses on the most effective strategies for states to address rapidly consolidating healthcare markets. Recent evidence demonstrates that provider and insurer markets in the United States have been highly concentrated for years and have led to increased healthcare prices and insurance premiums without a commensurate …

As the healthcare industry grapples with the recent settlement of the antitrust case against Sutter Health, The Source Executive Editor Jaime King discusses the possible motivations and implications of this development in Tradeoffs, a healthcare podcast. In Episode 2 of the podcast, The Train Has Left the Station, Professor King points out that because Sutter is a model for many other health systems around the country, the lawsuit against Sutter’s contracting practices, including all or nothing provisions, had the potential to send shockwaves through the system. The actual implications of …

The landmark antitrust case against Sutter Health, the largest provider of general acute hospital services in Northern California, is set to begin jury trial in the Superior Court of San Francisco on October 10 and is expected to last 12 weeks. The trial will begin at 10:15am with opening arguments from both parties. The Source has been closely tracking this case leading up to the trial. Executive Editor Jaime King was quoted in multiple news outlets, including the New York Times, San Francisco Chronicle, and Bloomberg Law, regarding the ripple …

As states increase legislative efforts to rein in prescription drug prices, an increased number of laws have been passed to regulate pharmacy benefit managers, price gouging, and price transparency in the pharmaceutical industry. However, industry groups have also stepped up legal challenges against these laws, using specifically the Dormant Commerce Clause, ERISA, and federal patent and trade secret laws. With support from the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP), The Source’s Katie Gudiksen, Sammy Chang, and Jaime King examine these state laws and ensuing legal challenges in the newly …

Hot off the press: Health Affairs Blog post The State Of State Legislation Addressing Health Care Costs And Quality highlights The State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost (SLIHCQ) Database established by The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition and Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR). The Source Executive Editor Jaime King and CPR Director Suzanne Delbanco discuss key approaches states are taking to develop high-quality, affordable health care, including transparency laws, payment reform and benefit design laws, laws that encourage provider competition, and laws that govern oversight and regulation of costs. Check …

The Source Blog is launching a new op-ed column, Wall Street Perspective, headlined by The Source Health Policy Research Fellow, Gary Ko. As a former Healthcare Equity Research Analyst for one of the largest Mutual Fund Companies in the world, Gary provides a unique economic perspective on issues facing the U.S. health care system. We hope this column will facilitate a general discussion of health system reform and invite our readers to share their opinions and questions, particularly on topics of healthcare economics and corporate finance. Check out the inaugural post …

Many health care providers and payers seek to maintain the confidentiality of amounts paid for services as trade secrets, claiming their secrecy provides a competitive advantage. With support from the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), The Source’s Katie Gudiksen, Sammy Chang, and Jaime King examine the legal and economic implications of collecting and releasing this data in the newly published report, The Secret of Health Care Prices: Why Transparency Is in the Public Interest.  Part I of this report reviews trade secret statutes and case law regarding the protection of negotiated …

In support of the State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost and Quality (“SLIHCQ”) Database, The Source has released a comprehensive SLIHCQ Database User Guide (download here), which provides detailed instructions and useful tips to help users navigate the tool. The Source, in partnership with Catalyst for Payment Reform (“CPR”), launched the database on May 17, 2019. This interactive tool catalogs ongoing state legislative efforts to implement healthcare reform. See press release here. Happy researching!

SAN FRANCISCO – June 17, 2019 – Given the current political environment at the federal level, efforts to reform health care may largely be left to states in the coming years. To create a resource for policymakers, researchers, health care purchasers and other stakeholders in state efforts to improve health care, Catalyst for Payment Reform (CPR) and The Source on Healthcare Price and Competition at the University of California, Hastings College of the Law (UC Hastings Law) partnered to create the Database of State Laws Impacting Healthcare Cost and Quality. …

The Source Advisory Board Member and UC Hastings Professor Tim Greaney is scheduled to testify before the Senate Committee on the Judiciary, Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy, and Consumer Rights. The hearing is titled “Your Doctor/Pharmacist/Insurer Will See You Now: Competitive Implications of Vertical Consolidation in the Healthcare Industry”. Tune in for the live video streaming of the event on Wednesday, June 12 at 2:30PM EST. Read Professor Greaney’s latest paper Navigating the Backwater: Vertical Mergers in Health Care published in CPI Antitrust Chronicle.