Why competition law matters to health care quality

William M. Sage, David A. Hyman, Warren Greenberg

Research output: Contribution to journalReview articlepeer-review

Abstract

Competition law (encompassing both antitrust and consumer protection) is the forgotten stepchild of health care quality. This paper introduces readers to competition law and policy, describes its institutional features and analytic framework, surveys the ways in which competition law has influenced quality-based competition, and outlines some areas in need of further development. Competition law protects the competitive process - not individual competitors. It guides the structural features of the health care system and the conduct of providers as they navigate it. Competition law does not privilege quality over other competitive goals but honors consumers' preferences with respect to trade-offs among quality, price, and other attributes of goods and services.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)31-44
Number of pages14
JournalHealth Affairs
Volume22
Issue number2
DOIs
StatePublished - 2003
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Medicine(all)

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