Partners HealthCare’s plan to further its expansion into New Hampshire ran into a roadblock on Friday, September 20, with the Granite State’s attorney general, Gordon MacDonald, saying the acquisition would violate state antitrust laws.
In May 2018, Partners’ flagship Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) announced that it planned to acquire Exeter Health Resources in New Hampshire. Plans called for Exeter to merge with Wentworth-Douglass Hospital, which MGH acquired in 2017, forming a new non-profit system for New Hampshire’s Seacoast region.
Last week, the antitrust division issued a notice of intent to halt the transaction over concerns of antitrust violations. The charitable trusts unit subsequently issued a report Friday, September 20, objecting to the proposed transaction, noting that if the hospitals resolve concerns with the antitrust division, it can refile its submission to charitable trusts.
“Our most important duty is to protect the public and we will not hesitate to use the enforcement tools available to us to do so,” MacDonald said in a statement. “New Hampshire patients already pay some of the highest prices for health care in the country. Based on our investigation, we have concluded that this transaction implicates our laws protecting free and fair competition and therefore threatens even higher health care costs to be borne by New Hampshire consumers.”
In a release, hospital officials said they expect to continue conversations with the attorney general on the benefits of the transaction to ultimately resolve the concerns.
Full Content: Biz Journals
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
Turkey Fines Meta $10.4 Million for Abusing Market Dominance
May 6, 2024 by
CPI
Canadian Watchdog Launches Inquiry into Lululemon’s Greenwashing Practices
May 6, 2024 by
CPI
Massachusetts Supreme Court Deliberates Ballot Redefining Gig Worker Status
May 6, 2024 by
CPI
European Commission Approves Nippon Steel’s $14.9 Billion Buyout of U.S. Steel
May 6, 2024 by
CPI
Banco Sabadell Rejects Rival BBVA Merger Proposal
May 6, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI