The United States Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, the Federal Trade Commission, and the Department of Health and Human Services have announced an extension to the public comment period for the Request for Information (RFI) on Consolidation in Health Care Markets. The deadline has been moved from May 6 to June 5, granting the public an additional 30 days to submit a response.
According to a press release from the Justice Department, the purpose of the RFI, which was issued on March 5, is "to gain an understanding of how health care mergers, acquisitions, and other transactions may decrease the number of companies that compete to provide health care products or services." The agencies say that increased consolidation could potentially pose risks to patients’ health, workers’ safety, quality of care, and affordability.
As stated in the RFI itself, these agencies are particularly interested in receiving information about transactions conducted by private equity funds or other alternative asset managers, health systems or private payers. Their focus is on understanding the objectives of these deals and their impact on healthcare market participants.
Per instructions in the press release, comments can be submitted at Regulations.gov. Once submitted, comments will be made publicly available on Regulations.gov.
