The FTC’s New Healthcare Taskforce Needs to Prioritize Health Data Acquisition and Use In Competition Oversight

This article examines the Federal Trade Commission’s newly established Healthcare Task Force and argue that its success will hinge on confronting the growing centrality of health data in competition analysis. The authors show how the convergence of “Big Health” and “Big Tech” — through partnerships, acquisitions, and data-sharing arrangements—risks entrenching market power via data-driven network effects and barriers to entry. Their analysis is particularly compelling in highlighti