In a reflection of the federal government’s power to halt the trend toward increasing hospital consolidation and decreased competition, a federal appeals court on Tuesday blocked the proposed merger of Englewood Health and Hackensack Meridian Health, reports NorthJersey.com.
The case has been watched closely after the Federal Trade Commission challenged the merger in December 2020, arguing that the deal would eliminate competition between Hackensack and Englewood. The FTC said it would enable Hackensack Meridian to demand higher prices from insurers, which could lead to higher premiums for insurance plan members.
The decision by a four-judge panel of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit concurred with that assessment, saying that “the merger is likely to substantially lessen competition.” Read more.
