Dive Brief:
- A San Francisco Superior Court judge has granted preliminary approval of the $575 million settlement agreement Sutter Health reached in the antitrust case that alleges it drove up healthcare prices in Northern California through anticompetitive practices.
- A hearing for final approval of the settlement has been set for July 19, according to the judge's order issued Tuesday.
- Now, class members, or certain self-funded payers in California, will be notified of the preliminary approval and may object to part or all of the settlement agreement.
Dive Insight:
This preliminary approval comes more than a year after Sutter Health first agreed to settle the case with the plaintiffs, including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, now nominee for HHS secretary, and a grocer's union.
To put the settlement and all its elements in motion, it must first be approved by a judge. Tuesday's order moves the case one step closer to final approval.
That 2019 settlement came on the eve of a court case that was supposed to lay out in open court how the regional powerhouse's practices led to higher healthcare costs.
Even though the settlement averted a trial, it was designed to force Sutter to change some of these practices. As part of the settlement, Sutter agreed to stop "all-or-nothing" contracting and instead allow insurers and other payers to contract with some, but not all, of Sutter's facilities.
The settlement is also designed to limit what patients pay out-of-network in an effort to shield them from exorbitant, surprise medical bills.
Sutter Health has tried to delay the $575 million antitrust settlement, citing the fallout from the novel coronavirus that has squeezed providers, including Sutter.
The health system, though battered by the pandemic's fallout, was still able to post net income of $134 million for 2020, in part thanks to investment income. However, it did report an operating loss of $321 million as expenses outpaced revenue. Sutter said it was launching a sweeping review of its finances and operations as a result.
The litigation was first initiated in 2014 when the grocer's union, joined by other plaintiff's, filed suit against Sutter's practices. It ultimately drew the attention of Becerra's office.