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Co-sponsored by the Center for Health, Science and Public Policy and the ABA Antitrust Section Committee on Health Care and Pharmaceuticals

About the Program
The final report of the Commission on Health Care Facilities in the 21st Century (the Berger Commission) recommends the closure of nine hospitals and a reconfiguration of some 48 other hospitals in New York State. This state-initiated effort to “rightsize” New York’s hospitals raises concerns about how to strike the proper balance among cost, quality, and utilization. In the United States, antitrust laws promote competition as the best method for allocating resources and encouraging innovation; they also reflects our society’s belief that competition in the commercial marketplace, including health care markets, enhances consumer welfare and promotes economic and political freedoms.

Government regulation significantly impacts market performance. This program explored the difficult legal and policy questions raised by government allocation of health care resources and the resulting impact on competition, access to care, and other market forces.

The program is part of the Center for Health, Science and Public Policy’s theory-practice seminar series, offering scholars and practitioners an opportunity to exchange ideas on important health policy issues.