Brown et al. v. Hartford Healthcare Corporation

Why this Matters
The plaintiffs, a class of Connecticut patients, argue that certain anticompetitive practices by a dominant Connecticut hospital violate state antitrust and consumer protection laws. The challenged anticompetitive practices relate to terms in the provider’s contracts with insurers, including all-or-nothing tying (requiring contracts with all services as a bundle), anti-steering/anti-tiering (preventing business from being directed to cheaper or higher-quality providers), and gag clauses (blocking the disclosure of price information), which have been shown to drive up prices and increase premiums for consumers.

Potential Impact
The ability to thwart anticompetitive practices by dominant health care providers can help reduce health care prices and lower health care premiums for consumers.