Antitrust Enforcement and the Future of Healthcare Competition

This chapter examines the role of antitrust law in the governance of healthcare competition in the United States as the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act of 2010 (ACA) takes full effect. It provides an overview of U.S. antitrust law before turning to recent and ongoing controversies involving antitrust law and healthcare, including those relating to hospital mergers, consolidation in the health insurance industry, accountable care organizations, and generic drugs. It then steps back to consider deeper questions of competition policy in the post-ACA era that may determine the economic sustainability and quality of the U.S. healthcare system