Healthcare Consolidation
DOJ and FTC Release Draft Updated Guidelines for Vertical Mergers
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor January 14, 2020
On January 10, the Department of Justice (DOJ), along with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), released a new draft guideline for vertical merger review. As opposed to horizontal mergers, vertical mergers generally combine entities that operate at different levels in the same supply chain. As vertical mergers become more commonplace in the healthcare industry, they are increasingly raising antitrust concerns as they often times don’t trigger the same level of scrutiny as do horizontal mergers. The much needed new guidelines specifically targeting vertical mergers serve to withdraw and update the …
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[Publication] Addressing Health Care Market Consolidation and High Prices: The Role of the States
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor January 13, 2020
Urban Institute Research Report (January 2020) “Addressing Health Care Market Consolidation and High Prices The Role of the States” Authors: Robert A. Berenson, Jaime S. King, Katherine L. Gudiksen, Roslyn Murray, Adele Shartzer
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The Source Roundup: January 2020 Edition
Source Fellow January 6, 2020
By: Swaja Khanna, Student Fellow Happy New Year! We hope you had an exciting start to the new decade! In this edition of the Source Roundup, we cover articles and reports from December that discuss: (1) increase in US health care spending in 2018, (2) health system affiliation and how it affects patient access, (3) out-of-network provider charges between 2012 and 2017, and (4) how billing in-network could save millions. U.S. Health Care Spending Increased 4.6 Percent to Reach $3.6 Trillion in 2018 In the Health Affairs article National …
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[Sutter Case Watch] BREAKING: Settlement Terms Released for Landmark Antitrust Case against Sutter Health
Sammy Chang, Health Policy Researcher December 20, 2019
See UFCW & Employers Benefit Trust v. Sutter Health case page. Today, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra announced the settlement terms for the landmark antitrust case, UFCW & Employers Benefit Trust v. Sutter Health. Sutter Health was alleged to engage in anticompetitive behavior by requiring “all or nothing” contracts, preventing insurance companies from providing tiered health plans, setting extremely high out-of-network rates, and restricting price transparency of provider cost information and rates. As Source Executive Editor Jaime King explains in a Tradeoffs episode, The Train Has Left the Station, …
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Introducing the New Interactive Key Issue Page: Market Consolidation
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor December 4, 2019
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 …
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The Source Roundup: December 2019 Edition
Tiffany Wang, Student Fellow December 2, 2019
Happy December! The holiday season is upon us and it is time to cozy up with a warm cup of tea to the latest health policy news. This edition of the Source Roundup looks at articles on 1) healthcare market consolidation and provider network access, 2) increases in insurance premium contributions and deductibles, and 3) lessons from healthcare system reforms abroad. Healthcare Markets Accountable care organizations (ACOs) have been lauded for providing higher quality medical care at lower costs. In a recent Health Affairs research article, Changes in Physician Consolidation …
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The Source Roundup: October 2019 Edition
Source Fellow October 1, 2019
By: Mary Breffle, Student Fellow The autumnal season is upon us! This month, we pull no tricks, and treat you to a review of articles and reports about 1) the impact of healthcare market concentration, 2) the potential use for price transparency, and 3) government efforts to influence pharmaceutical pricing. Conflicting Views on How Market Concentration Impacts Healthcare Prices Two recent reports point to an increase in healthcare market concentration and discuss the effects on price and competition. The American Medical Association (AMA) just published the 2019 edition of the …
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Litigation and Enforcement Highlights – July 2019: Mid-Year Merger Watch
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor July 15, 2019
It’s been a flurry of activity in the past month in the realm of healthcare mergers and acquisitions. In this issue of Litigation and Enforcement Highlights, we take a look at both recent mergers that were approved and blocked, as well as a string of proposed deals coming down the pipeline. 8th Circuit Hands FTC Win in Blocking Sanford Health-Mid Dakota Clinic Merger The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the North Dakota Attorney General scored a win in antitrust enforcement when the 8th Circuit upheld a preliminary injunction that …
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The Source Roundup: July 2019 Edition
Source Fellow July 1, 2019
By: Hayden Soria, Student Fellow Happy July! Hope everyone is staying cool in the summer heat. In this month’s Source Roundup, we take a dive into academic articles and studies that look at 1) healthcare system reform on a national and state level 2) health care markets concentration and competition, and 3) developing trends in prescription drug pricing. Healthcare System Reform Ever since the Affordable Care Act (ACA) implementation nine years ago, it has become one of the most polarizing topics in American political culture, spawning debates both in support …
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Evidentiary Hearing Puts Spotlight Back on Antitrust Concerns of CVS-Aetna Merger
Amy Y. Gu, Managing Editor June 14, 2019
When the $69 billion CVS-Aetna mega-merger obtained regulatory approval from the Department of Justice (DOJ) and key states back in November 2018, few expected the deal to face further regulatory challenges, as the companies consummated the merger on what they believed to be the winning ticket. That is, until Judge Richard Leon of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia halted the merger by refusing to give his rubber stamp of approval as part of the routine judicial review process, stunning many in the healthcare industry. Setting …
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