Worried about hospitals closing and higher costs for patients, state lawmakers are increasingly tangling with hospitals over potential health care mergers, in some cases derailing deals they think don’t serve the public interest.
As the Fairview-Sanford deal chugged along, Ellison’s office held public listening sessions across the state. And while Fairview and Sanford officials said the merger would allow the systems to expand care and some residents expressed support for the deal, the overall sentiment from stakeholders was negative, Ellison recalled.in May 2023 that bans anti-competitive health care mergers and strengthens state oversight of potential deals. It was signed into law that month.
Gilchrest said she hopes Connecticut lawmakers will do more to protect services being eliminated following some hospital mergers, particularly women’s health services. “The proposed Blue Cross Blue Shield sale to Elevance Health has raised concerns about the potential consequences for Louisiana’s healthcare landscape,” Stine said in a statement sent to Stateline.