Release date:
11/15/2018
(RALEIGH) Attorney General Josh Stein today announced that he has reached a settlement with Atrium Health as a result of the antitrust lawsuit the North Carolina Department of Justice and the U.S. Department of Justice filed in 2016.
“As a result of this settlement, people will be able to purchase lower cost, high quality healthcare and gain transparency of healthcare pricing,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “We can’t allow Atrium to use its size and market dominance to the detriment of healthcare consumers.”
The settlement prohibits Atrium Health from entering into contracts with insurers that would:
- prevent them from disclosing healthcare prices to consumers or punish them for providing price transparency;
- restrict them from offering consumers financial incentives to use lower cost, high quality providers;
- require Atrium’s prior approval for insurers to introduce new, lower cost benefit plans; or
- require that Atrium be included in the most-preferred tier of benefit plans even if it does not meet price or value criteria.
“My office has appreciated our partnership with the U.S. Department of Justice in this matter,” said Attorney General Josh Stein. “Together, we have been able to achieve greater competition and price transparency for healthcare consumers in the Charlotte area.”The settlement requires that Atrium notify insurance providers within 15 business days that it will no longer enter into or enforce contracts that violate the above terms.
A copy of the settlement can be found here.
Contact:
Laura Brewer (919) 716-6484
###