United States of Care Provides Testimony in Support of Washington Legislation to Address Health Care Consolidation

On February 14, United States of Care submitted testimony in support of Senate Bill 5241 in the Washington House Committee on Civil Rights and Judiciary. This legislation provides important oversight of health care entity mergers and acquisitions to ensure Washingtonians are protected from the negative impacts of health care consolidation. Both vertical and horizontal health care consolidation has been on the rise in Washington and nationally, leading to less competition and higher prices for patients, usually with no corresponding increase in quality of care.

SB 5241 offers a solution to protect Washingtonians from the effects of corporate – rather than community – values by increasing transparency and oversight and requiring approval for health care material change transactions, effectively addressing both horizontal and vertical consolidation efforts. We applaud the bill’s sponsors for introducing this legislation and look forward to the opportunity for Washington to join the 13 states with laws requiring state entity or Attorney General review and approval of some or all health care transactions, taking into consideration the impact on health care access and affordability for people.