Eighteen members of Congress from California have sent a letter to California's Attorney General Kamala D. Harris, urging her to block Ontario, Calif.-based Prime Healthcare from acquiring six of Los Altos Hills, Calif.-based Daughters of Charity Health System's hospitals.
In their letter, the lawmakers focused on what they believe will be the negative consequences of the deal going through. "It is our belief that under Prime, patient care and healthcare worker rights will suffer at these hospitals," the congressmen wrote.
They further stated they are worried about "Prime's history of unfair business practices that have resulted in civil and criminal investigations by government agencies for allegedly overbilling Medicare as well as violations of patient confidentiality."
The letter also highlighted the need for safety net hospitals in California, with more than 2 million people in the state signing up for Medi-Cal under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
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