Justice Department Sues OhioHealth for Anticompetitive Healthcare Contracts That Increase Costs for Ohio Patients

Lawsuit Seeks to Reduce Healthcare Costs in Ohio by Allowing Patients, Employers, and Health Insurers to Choose Lower Cost Healthcare Options The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, together with the Attorney General of Ohio, filed a civil antitrust lawsuit today challenging OhioHealth Corporation’s (OhioHealth) anti-competitive contract restrictions that force Ohio patients to pay higher prices for healthcare. The complaint, filed in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Ohio, seeks to enjoin OhioHealth, the largest healthcare system in central Ohio, from enforcing its anti-competitive contractual terms and continuing to suppress healthcare competition. “Americans deserve low-cost, high-quality healthcare – not anti-competitive hospital system contracts that make healthcare less affordable,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Under President Trump’s leadership, this Department of Justice will continue taking legal action to protect consumers and drive down healthcare costs across America." “Competition for healthcare is vital to all Americans,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Omeed A. Assefi of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. “This lawsuit challenges anti-competitive contract restrictions that prevent consumers from choosing lower-cost health plans and severely limit consumers’ access to price information. These restrictions cause many Columbus residents to pay more for lower-quality healthcare. American families and consumers deserve better. I appreciate the partnership with Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost to challenge these restrictions as we work together to open this important market to the very real benefits of open competition.” As alleged in the complaint, OhioHealth uses its market power to impose contractual restrictions that impede or completely prevent insurers from offering innovative and money-saving health-insurance plans or plan features. OhioHealth generally forces insurers to include OhioHealth in all of the networks for the commercial insurance products they offer, regardless of how OhioHealth’s prices compare to its competitors, preventing the development of budget-conscious plans in the Columbus area. Without these lower cost and innovative plan options that empower patients to save money by selecting lower-cost providers who still provide high-quality care, patients and employers are faced with fewer health plan choices and higher costs. OhioHealth owns or manages 16 hospitals and outpatient facilities throughout the State of Ohio.