AHA Urges Two Changes to FTC/DOJ Merger Guidelines

The American Hospital Association (AHA) appreciates the opportunity to present our views to the U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Antitrust Division of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) on the future of merger enforcement, particularly on contemplated changes to the 2010 Horizontal Merger Guidelines and the 2020 Vertical Merger Guidelines (collectively the "merger guidelines") and the impact the revisions will have on patient care.

AHA members are committed to improving the health of the communities that they serve and to helping ensure that care is available to and affordable for all Americans. The AHA provides extensive education for health care leaders and is a source of valuable information and data on health care issues and trends. It ensures that members' perspectives are heard and addressed in national health-policy development, legislative and regulatory debates, as well as judicial matters. Because hospital mergers regularly generate significant health care quality improvements and cost reductions, the AHA is invested in ensuring that the merger guidelines properly account for these benefits and correctly analyze the likely effects of hospital transactions.

View the detailed letter below.