DOJ, Ohio attorney general accuse OhioHealth of driving up prices, crowding out competition
Lawsuit seeks to prohibit hospital contracts that make health care more expensive
OhioHealth is the latest nonprofit health system to find itself in the governments crosshairs for allegedly using its market power to suppress competition and drive up costs.
The Department of Justice and Ohios attorney general filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against the Columbus-based health system on Friday. The regulators claim OhioHealth imposes anticompetitive contract terms like anti-steering provisions and all-or-nothing contracting that prevent insurers from selling cheaper plans and other hospitals from limiting their prices.
Competition for healthcare is vital to all Americans, Omeed Assefi, acting assistant attorney general of the Justice Departments Antitrust Division, said in a statement. This lawsuit challenges anticompetitive contract restrictions that prevent consumers from choosing lower-cost health plans and severely limit consumers access to price information.
OhioHealth has 16 hospitals in the state, but the lawsuit focuses on the five hospitals, physician groups, and other outpatient services in the Columbus area. Thats where regulators say it restricts commercial health insurers from implementing creative plan designs that help people save money. The lawsuit says OhioHealth is much more expensive than its closest competitors, but its quality scores are lower in some cases.
https://www.statnews.com/2026/02/20/doj-ohio-antitrust-lawsuit-ohiohealth-acontracts/