President Joe Biden's administration announced March 5 a task force focused on tackling "unfair and illegal pricing" in healthcare and other areas.
The Justice Department and the Federal Trade Commission will co-chair the task force, according to a news release from the White House.
Members of the task force, including officials from the Justice Department, FTC and other federal agencies, will "strengthen interagency efforts to root out and stop illegal corporate behavior that hikes prices on American families through anti-competitive, unfair, deceptive, or fraudulent business practices," the White House said.
More specifically, they will focus on areas such as prescription drugs and healthcare, food and grocery, housing, and financial services.
News of the task force follows the January appointment of Stacy Sanders to serve as the inaugural chief competition officer at HHS and a series of policies announced Dec. 7 to address high prescription drug costs, along with implementing stricter reviews of healthcare mergers and acquisitions. On March 5, the administration also announced the launch of a cross-government public inquiry into the effects of private equity and other corporations on healthcare.