FAH provided comments to the Department of Justice Antitrust Division (DOJ), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and Federal Trade Commission (FTC) regarding the Request for Information on Consolidation in Health Care Markets. FAH comments highlighted that hospital and health care system mergers and acquisitions bring critical value and a strong, resilient foundational structure to the US health care delivery system. 

The comments outline multiple improvements and benefits that mergers and acquisitions create for patients, caregivers, and communities – all of which improve patient access and care. The comment letter further urges the agencies to evaluate each potential hospital merger transaction individually, on a case-by-case basis, considering all the relevant facts at hand rather than focusing on ownership structure. 

Additionally, the comments urged the agencies to consider health insurer consolidation when discussing competition policy in health care. In keeping with our continued advocacy and engagement with lawmakers, regulators, the media and others, the comments noted that insurer power concentration has resulted in practices that arbitrarily and inappropriately deny, limit, modify, or delay the delivery of or access to services and care for patients, including Medicare beneficiaries.  

Read the letter here.