Lawmakers are reviving efforts to give the Federal Trade Commission authority to investigate nonprofit hospitals for anticompetitive behavior.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, a Republican from Indiana, reintroduced a bill April 20 that would allow the FTC to enforce antitrust rules among the nation's more than 2,900 nonprofit hospitals. Ms. Spartz first introduced the bill, dubbed the "Combatting Hospital Monopolies Act," in December 2022.
Lawmakers are also slated to discuss tax-exempt hospitals and strategies to increase healthcare competition during two House committee hearings scheduled for April 26.
The legislation comes amid increased scrutiny and intervention by the FTC on health system mergers and acquisitions.