The Source’s executive editor Katie Gudiksen, working with Arnold Analytics, co-authored a report on hospital market competition in Monterey County. The report was released today by California’s Office of Health Care Affordability (OHCA). The study examines why prices at CHOMP, Natividad, and Salinas Valley Memorial are among the highest in the state and finds that limited competition—not higher costs or better quality—is the main driver. It also outlines the impact on local families and employers and offers policy options for the state to consider. Read the full report here: https://hcai.ca.gov/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/OHCA-Investigative-Study-of-Hospital-Market-Competition-in-Monterey-County.pdf.

October 12 marked the deadline for the California Governor to sign or veto legislation passed during the 2025 California legislative session, so we now know the fate of this year’s healthcare legislation.  Much of the session’s efforts were focused on ensuring support of Californians in the face of massive federal cuts to social programs, Los Angeles wildfires, a potential budget deficit of over $12 billion, and the state’s highly publicized push to get Proposition 50 passed, which will redraw Congressional district maps.  Lawmakers introduced an ambitious slate of bills aimed […]

Health Care Consolidation and System Reform Health Care Consolidation: Published Estimates of the Extent and Effects of Physician Consolidation Government Accountability Office In 2023, Congress directed the Government Accountability Office to study the extent of healthcare consolidation, the potential role of private equity, and the effects on healthcare quality, access, spending, and costs. The GAO reviewed peer-reviewed empirical studies and reports from January 2021 through July 2025, and interviewed stakeholders, including physicians, hospitals, insurers, private equity firms, retail companies, and employees. The article cited available data sources, including PECOS, insurer […]

In 2025, the Oregon Health Authority (“OHA”) invited the public to weigh in on its Health Care Market Oversight (“HCMO”) Program.  The Oregon Health Policy Board is seeking comments on the program’s guiding principles and framework.  This move follows growing criticism and scrutiny of the program, as well as a lawsuit in which a federal appeals court upheld the program’s authority.  These public comment opportunities offer a rare chance for residents, providers, and stakeholders to directly influence how healthcare mergers, acquisitions, and affiliations are reviewed, or potentially restricted, by the […]

August and September 2025 were active months in the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s case challenging the Federal Trade Commission (FTC)’s new rules under the Hart-Scott-Rodino (HSR) Act.  The FTC finalized changes to the HSR pre-merger notification rules in October 2024, and the Chamber filed suit in January 2025. In August and September, the Chamber moved for summary judgment, the FTC filed a brief in opposition, and most recently, the Chamber filed a brief in support of its summary judgment motion. History of the Hart-Scott-Rodino Act Congress passed the original Hart-Scott-Rodino […]

Update – On October 11, the Governor signed AB 1415, and it was subsequently chaptered by the Secretary of State, making it California law. In May, The Source shared information about Assembly Bill 1415 and Senate Bill 351, bills introduced in February 2025 as part of the state’s ongoing efforts to regulate private equity healthcare transactions and costs.  After four amendments, AB 1415 has been enrolled and sent to Governor Newsom’s desk.  The early draft of the bill sought to cast a wide net by thoroughly expanding definitions of terms […]

Primary Care Impact of primary care market mergers on quality: Evidence from the English NHS (Journal of Health Economics) Yuan Lyu, Zhaocheng Zhang This article examines the growing trend of market consolidation among primary care providers and assesses the impact of mergers and acquisitions on the English primary care market. The authors first look at the reasons behind primary care mergers.  They identify the three most significant issues as practitioners retiring (causing a small practice to merge with another), offices consolidating functions to practice more efficiently, and failing practices merging with […]

State policy makers have worked to address the complexities of noncompete clauses, especially for healthcare workers, for some time. These state efforts have become even more critical in light of federal efforts stalling. Background on Noncompete Clauses Noncompete clauses are terms in contracts between employees and employers that prevent workers, once their employment is over, from competing with that employer (typically by working for a competing employer or starting a competing business). Noncompete provisions are often limited to a specific duration and/or a particular distance from the original employer. These […]

On August 13, 2025, President Donald Trump issued an executive order revoking Executive Order 14036 (Promoting Competition in the American Economy) issued by President Joe Biden on July 9, 2021.  Biden’s executive order was remarkably lengthy and detailed, addressing many areas with significant implications for healthcare markets and competition.  Revoking the order represents a new direction in the Federal Government’s competition priorities. Biden’s Order on Promoting Competition Biden’s 2021 order was unusual in its scope and size, signaling an intention to reinvigorate antitrust enforcement across U.S. industries. The order noted […]

On September 5, 2025, the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced it would dismiss its appeal of a 2024 court ruling that had determined that the FTC’s attempt at creating a federal noncompete ban had exceeded the FTC’s authority.  Ending the legal defense of the noncompete ban effectively ends any chance of the ban going into effect. This saga began on April 23, 2024, when the FTC issued a rule banning many noncompete clauses in employee contracts, which was quickly challenged when several parties filed lawsuits against the rule.  On July […]