We present empirical analyses of the effects of two hospital mergers - both occurring in the northern suburbs of Chicago in 2000 - on the pre- and post-merger prices negotiated with commercial health insurers. Using difference-in-differences methodology and data on actual transaction prices,...

Frontmatter -- Acknowledgments -- Contents -- Introduction -- 1. The Transformation of the Health Care System -- 2. The Current Treatment: A Strong Dose of Competition -- 3. Antitrust Policy in Health Care Markets -- 4. Market Definition in Health Care Antitrust Cases Involving Consolidation --...

Major League Baseball’s (MLB) Draft is a natural laboratory for the study of bargaining: There are no bonus restrictions, draft picks cannot be traded, and there are no commitment issues (i.e., players “declaring†for the draft). This article tests the implications of bargaining...

Economics at the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) supports both the competition and consumer protection missions of the agency. In this year’s essay we discuss a range of activities focusing on data-intensive antitrust cases in the hospital and consumer products industries. We also discuss our...

Certificates of public advantage (COPAs) grant antitrust immunity to merging hospitals conditional on active state regulation. We investigate the long-run effects of the four horizontal hospital mergers shielded with COPAs prior to 2015. We find that COPA regulation, if properly designed, can...