After more than five months of study, a team of EI economists led by Corporate Vice President David A. Argue has completed a comprehensive study of competition in Utah for health insurance services, hospital and ambulatory surgery center services, and physician services. The report, entitled “Competition in Utah Health Care Markets,” was prepared on behalf of the Utah state legislature’s Task Force on Privately Owned Health Care Organizations. It considers the structure of markets in terms of the number and size of competitors and examines relationships between the markets, including the vertical integration of Intermountain Health Care. The report also assesses the competitive impact of various practices, such as managed care contracting, provider network formation, investment in facilities and equipment, physician employment and others. The team found that considerable evidence exists to support the conclusion that Utah’s health care markets are performing competitively notwithstanding the size, geographic spread, vertical relationships, and contracting practices of some market participants.
The study is available here.