Vertical restraints among hospitals, physicians and health insurers that raise rivals' costs. A case study of Reazin v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas, Inc. and Ocean State Physicians Health Plan, Inc. v. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Rhode Island.
Two recent district court opinions consider whether affiliations among hospitals, doctors and health insurers--through contract or ownership--violate the antitrust laws. This Article applies a raising rivals' costs framework to the facts of those cases in order to assess whether the practices at issue were unreasonable.
Baker
J B
JB
Amos Tuck School of Business Administration, Dartmouth College.
D054598:Blue Cross Blue Shield Insurance Plans / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D003363:Cost Control; D004465:Economic Competition / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D004469:Economics, Hospital / Q000639:trends*; D006279:Health Maintenance Organizations / Q000191:economics; D007350:Insurance, Hospitalization / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007357:Insurance, Physician Services / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence*; D007615:Kansas; D009935:Organizational Affiliation / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011243:Preferred Provider Organizations / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D012237:Rhode Island; D014481:United States; D014485:United States Federal Trade Commission