New Task Force Established to Combat Health Care Consolidation

By Consumers for Quality Care, on May 29, 2024

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently announced a new task force focused on scrutinizing health care consolidation and mergers, according to Fierce Healthcare. 

The Antitrust Division’s Task Force on Health Care Monopolies and Collusion (HCMC) will be the hub for antitrust enforcement strategy and for policy approaches to dealing with ever-growing health care consolidation proposals and how it hurts health care consumers. 

Jonathan Kanter, the Antitrust Division Assistant Attorney General, stated that the HCMC will, “identify and root out monopolies and collusive practices that increase costs, decrease quality and create single points of failure in the healthcare industry.” Additionally, the HCMC will partner with civil and criminal prosecutors, economists, health care industry experts, data scientists, and other policy advisers across other DOJ divisions to “identify and address pressing antitrust problems in healthcare markets,” according to Kanter. 

The new task force comes amid increased scrutiny into multiple mergers in the health care industry. Already this year, the DOJ launched an investigation into UnitedHealth for alleged antitrust violations. Additionally, the failures that led to the bankruptcy of Steward Health has prompted Congress to hold hearings on market consolidation. 

Decreased competition hurts consumers, often leading to fewer options for care and higher out-of-pocket costs. CQC urges regulators and lawmakers to scrutinize hospital mergers and to do everything within their power to ensure that consumers don’t foot the bill for anti-competitive practices.