The National Imperative For Health Care System Transformation: Why Certain Mergers And Acquistions Are Appropriate Despite Section 7 Of The Clayton Act

Integration among health care providers offers a promising solution to the health care crisis. Unfortunately, some efforts to improve the American health care system through integration have been halted by antitrust concerns and the enforcement of section 7 of the Clayton Act. Health care costs could be contained and clinical quality improved by allowing a narrow statutory exemption to enforcement of section 7 for health care integrations that demonstrate cost efficiency and advance patient care. Under such limited circumstances, relaxed antitrust regulation is an appropriate response to health care’s current financial crisis that will ultimately benefit America’s consumers and economy by transforming the fragmented volumebased health care system to one based on value