In an article for STAT, antitrust litigation partners Dylan Carson and Alicia Batts discussed potential antitrust bills that could limit the ability of technology companies to ascend in the health care industry.
The publication noted that lawmakers advanced a package of bipartisan bills broadly targeted at giving regulators more tools and funding to limit technology companies’ monopoly power.
For example, if a technology company wants to buy businesses to expand current health care services and telehealth offerings, the effort could face an uncertain fate under the new proposals, said Carson.
Even though the bills currently under consideration are narrowly limited to technology companies, once the Federal Trade Commission pushes the boundaries of its enforcement in one area, Batts explained that it could have spillover effects in other areas.
“For folks who want to sell online and use the platform, they can use the law, if it becomes one, as a sword to claim Amazon is discriminating against them, undercutting them on price or making it harder for consumers to access their product,” Carson added.
The full article is available for STAT subscribers.
