Our Research in the Media

STAT article considers what happens with cross-market hospital mergers

In a recent STAT article, published in April 2024, the implications of cross-market hospital mergers are discussed. Referencing the UC Berkeley Health Economists, Daniel Arnold, the article mentions that this is the third study that stands as a demonstration to cross-market hospital mergers causing price increases.

View the STAT article and the PDF.

Modern Healthcare article leads the discussion on cross-market hospital merger oversight

Modern Healthcare article discusses new research which shows that acquired out-of-market hospitals tend to increase prices. The study found both larger and smaller systems involved in cross-market mergers were associated with higher prices. The Federal Trade Commission and Justice Department have updated their guidelines to potentially be used to analyze cross-market hospital mergers.

View the article on Modern Healthcare and the PDF.

Six UC Berkeley scientists elected lifetime fellows of American Association for the Advancement of Science

Richard Scheffler, along with five other UC Berkeley researchers have been elected 2023 Fellows of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), the world’s largest general scientific society and publisher of the Science family of journals.

View the article here and learn more about Richard Scheffler’s Wikipedia page here.

The Better Healthcare Policy Group

The Better Healthcare Policy Group held a meeting of employers/purchasers, health plans, provider organizations and health policy leaders in Washington D.C. on March 14th, 2024 to discuss and advance the criteria for continuously improving better care as laid out in the Health Affairs Scholar article “The Better Care Plan: A Blueprint for Improving America’s Healthcare System”.

View the Health Affairs Scholar Article at this link.

Monetizing Medicine: How Private Equity’s Changing Who Your Doctor Works For & What It Means For You

Richard Scheffler, Distinguished Professor of Health Economics and Public Policy at the School of Public Health and the Goldman School of Public Policy, addresses the current state of healthcare financing and the challenges of creating a healthcare system that is available for all.

Click here to access the video presented by UC Berkeley Retirement Center.

AAI, UC Berkeley and Equitable Growth Issue Addenda to Report on Private Equity Ownership in Healthcare

The report, covered by multiple media outlets including the New York Times and Washington Post, highlights private equity’s voracious acquisition of physician practices over the last several years, evaluating market penetration across 10 physician practice specialties within markets across the United States, the impact on market shares and concentration, and on prices and expenditures.

View the American Antitrust Institute press release article and the addenda.