Chief Healthcare Executive September 5, 2023
A bipartisan bill would potentially give the Department of Health and Human Services a role in weighing the impact of hospital and healthcare consolidations.
The skinny
Lawmakers in Congress have introduced a bill that could potentially add more scrutiny to hospital and healthcare mergers.
Sponsors
Republicans and Democrats are sponsoring the measure. Reps. Michael Burgess (R-Texas), Drew Ferguson (R-Ga.), and Debbie Dingell (D-Mich.) are the main sponsors.
Summary
The lawmakers say the bill would require the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to examine how the regulatory process is affecting healthcare mergers. The department would be required to produce annual reports to Congress to determine if Medicare payment rules are affecting consolidation.
Sponsors have dubbed the bill the “Providers...