 Image: Frits Ahlefeldt-Laurvig under CC 3.0 |
The healthcare reform law may end up having an unfortunate side effect: although one of its stated goals is to help make affordable health insurance more widely available by spurring competition, several health care providers are considering merging.
According to many groups of doctors, hospitals, and clinics, the alliances and joint ventures are necessary in order to maintain their profit margins and take advantage of the potential savings of the law while avoiding the additional costs. However, consumers may suffer as a result.
The industry’s lobbying groups also want the Federal Trade Commission and the inspector general of the Department of Health and Human Services to give them exceptions from antitrust and Medicare fraud laws. This could potentially be dangerous. On the positive side, it can force medical service providers to coordinate care, leading to better health outcomes for patients.
Tags: affordable health insurance, clinics, consumers, doctor groups, health care, health care mergers, health insurance, healthcare reform, hospitals, patients
