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Jaime S. King, Samuel M. Chang, Alexandra D. Montague, Katherine L. Gudiksen, Amy Y. Gu, Daniel Arnold, and Thomas L. Greaney

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 Care Markets and Consumer Welfare in the School of Public Health, UC Berkeley, The Source conducted a research of statutes, regulations, and antitrust enforcement actions in all fifty states. In the newly released research report “Preventing Anticompetitive Healthcare Consolidation: Lessons from Five States“, we identify best practices that state policymakers should consider to enhance oversight of healthcare consolidation in their own state.

This research report is the latest installment in a collaborative research series that leverages the latest and most comprehensive data on state laws, healthcare markets, and healthcare prices in provider and insurer markets in the United States in the last ten years and presents evidence-based information and analyses on the most effective strategies for states to address rapidly consolidating healthcare markets. Additional research findings and analyses are published on the “Market Consolidation” key issue page.

Download the report here.