Healthcare Consolidation
[In the Press] Interview Quoted in New Times San Luis Obispo Article
Jaime S. King, Executive Editor July 30, 2020
Executive Editor Jaime King was quoted in the 7/30/2020 New Times San Luis Obispo article Big health: A look at how the Central Coast’s two hospital systems shape local health care costs: “The data is incredibly clear on this,” said Jaime King, a professor at UC Hastings College of Law who specializes in health care markets and policy. “Hospital mergers result in significant price increases almost immediately. Both entities’ prices go up as a result. Neighboring hospitals’ prices go up, too, as a shadow effect. It’s having an even bigger effect …
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[Presentation] Nevada Patient Protection Commission Meeting
Jaime S. King, Executive Editor July 20, 2020
The Nevada Patient Protection Commission Presentation on drivers of healthcare costs and efforts to improve transparency in healthcare pricing Presentation: “Addressing High Health Care Prices: Transparency, Enforcement, and Legislation” Meeting Recording Meeting Minutes
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Final DOJ and FTC Vertical Merger Review Guidelines Fail to Impress
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor July 9, 2020
After much anticipation and a round of public comments on the draft guidelines released in January, the Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), officially issued the final Vertical Merger Review Guidelines, replacing the Non-Horizontal Merger Guidelines originally issued in 1984. The updated guidelines govern how federal antitrust agencies evaluate vertical, as well as other non-horizontal mergers. The guidelines outline three main sources of evidence for potential adverse competitive effects from vertical mergers: 1) Foreclosure and Raising Rivals’ Costs, 2) Access to Competitively Sensitive Information, and …
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The Source Roundup: July 2020 Edition
Kendall Kohlmeyer, Student Fellow July 1, 2020
The Source continues to extend wishes of safety and good health to you and your loved ones. As the pandemic causes the healthcare industry financial tragedy, health law experts share important considerations for policymakers, providers, and payers. Many authors hope the pandemic will effect much-needed lasting improvements in the efficiency and efficacy of health care in the U.S. Antitrust Experts Recommend More Rigorous Regulation of Healthcare Consolidation In Preventing Anticompetitive Healthcare Consolidation: Lessons from Five States, published by the Source on Healthcare Price & Competition, authors Jaime King, et …
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[In the Press] Source Executive Editor Quoted in California Healthline Regarding Sutter Settlement
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor June 17, 2020
Case page: UFCW & Employers Benefit Trust v. Sutter Health Executive Editor Jaime King was quoted in the 6/17/2020 California Healthline article Citing COVID, Sutter Pushes To Revisit Landmark Antitrust Settlement: In its filing, Sutter does not specifically object to the $575 million settlement amount. But Jaime King, an associate dean at UC Hastings College of the Law who has followed the case, said the request for a delay could be a tactical strategy to support such a move. “The longer they can delay, the more they can show they have …
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Just Published: Research Report on Preventing Anticompetitive Healthcare Consolidation
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor June 15, 2020
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 increase in quality. The coronavirus pandemic is placing additional financial strain on many physician practices and small, rural hospitals, elevating the risk of unchecked consolidation. State governments can play a critical role in improving oversight of anticompetitive mergers and other affiliations, especially in this time. With support from Arnold Ventures and in collaboration with the Nicholas C. Petris Center on Health …
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[In the Press] Source Executive Editor Interview Quoted in Los Angeles Times Regarding SB 977
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor June 8, 2020
The Source Executive Editor Jaime King was recently quoted in the Los Angeles Times article “California seeks more power to fight healthcare mergers,” regarding SB 977, a bill that would grant significantly more merger review power to the Attorney General in California: “The best way to prevent problems from occurring in a merger is just to prevent the merger altogether,” said Jaime King, associate dean at UC Hastings College of the Law in San Francisco. “It’s really hard to unwind a merger after you’ve already done it.” SB 977 incorporated …
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The Source Roundup: June 2020 Edition
Kendall Kohlmeyer, Student Fellow June 1, 2020
The Source continues to extend wishes of safety and good health to you and your loved ones during this uniquely challenging time. Despite the reality that much of the healthcare industry suffers financial catastrophe due to the pandemic, experts note improvements in some areas. Authors this month expect some advancements to last and suggest how the U.S. should use them to diminish costs. Changes in Telehealth Will Likely Outlast the Pandemic In JAMA’s Implications for Telehealth in a Postpandemic Future, Carmel Shachar and co-authors affirm positive outcomes that the …
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AB 2036 Seeks to Rectify a Loophole in California AG Merger Oversight But Can Go Further
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher May 13, 2020
As California continues to shelter in place and limit the spread of COVID-19, the California Legislature is forced to cut the number of bills it can consider this session. However, as hospitals struggle financially and possibly seek mergers to survive, merger oversight over nonprofit hospitals is more critical than ever to maintain health access. Under California law, the state Attorney General (“AG”) can impose conditional approval for mergers or acquisitions involving non-profit health facilities. Two recent bankruptcy court cases have threatened the viability of these conditional approvals by limiting the …
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[Publication] Examining the Authority of California’s Attorney General in Health Care Mergers
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor April 28, 2020
In a report just published by the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), The Source’s Sammy Chang, Tim Greaney, Katie Gudiksen, and Jaime King examine the California Attorney General’s merger review authority and compare it to those of other state AGs. As state antitrust enforcement can be used as an alternative to federal enforcement, the team suggests expansion of the AG’s oversight of health care mergers to address the escalating scope and impact of health care industry consolidation. Download the report “Examining the Authority of California’s Attorney General in Health Care …
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