The Federal Trade Commission is urging North Carolina lawmakers to rethink a bill that would shield UNC Health from antitrust scrutiny for mergers.
In a letter to members of the North Carolina House Health Committee, the agency argued the bill could allow acquisitions and collaborations that “reduce competition among healthcare providers and lead to patient harm in the form of higher healthcare costs, lower quality, reduced innovation and reduced access to care, as well as depressed wages for hospital employees.”
The bill’s sponsor previously told local media that it could give the nonprofit, state-owned system the chance to save struggling rural hospitals.
North Carolina Senate Bill 743 passed in the state’s Senate about a month ago, and is currently under consideration in the House. It would allow the UNC’s board to enter “cooperative agreements with any other entity for the provision of healthcare, including the acquisition, allocation, sharing or joint operation of hospitals or any other healthcare facilities or healthcare provider, without regard to their effect on market competition.” Read more.
