Estuary Transit District et al. v. Hartford HealthCare Corporation et al.

Why this Matters:

The plaintiffs, a self-insured employer and self-funded health plan, argue that certain anticompetitive practices by a dominant hospital violate federal antitrust law. The challenged anticompetitive practices related to terms in the provider’s contracts with health plans, including all-or-nothing tying (requiring contracts with all services as a bundle), anti-steering/anti-tiering (preventing business from being directed to cheaper providers), and price fixing, 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.