Home / Business and Economy / Justice Dept. Sues OhioHealth Over Anticompetitive Practices
Justice Dept. Sues OhioHealth Over Anticompetitive Practices
20 Feb
Summary
- Justice Department and Ohio AG jointly sued OhioHealth.
- OhioHealth allegedly restricts insurance plans, raising patient costs.
- The lawsuit is the first civil antitrust action by the division in a year.
The Justice Department and the Ohio Attorney General have jointly filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth Corporation, one of Ohio's largest healthcare systems. The lawsuit, lodged in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, accuses OhioHealth of anticompetitive behavior that leads to inflated healthcare costs for patients.
This enforcement action is significant as it represents the first civil antitrust case initiated by the department's Antitrust Division in roughly a year. Officials emphasized a commitment to aggressive enforcement to ensure affordability for everyday people, particularly concerning healthcare.
The complaint asserts that since at least 2003, OhioHealth has implemented contractual restrictions that prevent commercial health insurance companies from offering lower-cost plans. These restrictions allegedly deprive patients of choices and benefit employers and patients through reduced premiums and out-of-pocket expenses.
Justice Department officials noted that OhioHealth holds approximately a 40% market share and has negotiated prices with insurers that are about 50% higher than competitors. This investigation, ongoing for several years, is part of broader probes into dominant healthcare systems nationwide. A similar case was settled in 2018 with Atrium Health.
