This Data on Hospitals Will Make You Sick

Mergers have become commonplace as hospital megachains increasingly dominate the American health care market. But those mergers often go unscrutinized by state regulators, who fail to address the resulting risks to patients losing access to care, according to a new report released today. 

MergerWatch, which analyzes the hospital industry and opposes faith-based health care restrictions, surveyed health care statutes and regulations in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. It found that only 10 states require government review before hospital facilities and services can be shut down. Only eight states and DC mandate regulatory review when hospitals enter into more informal partnerships rather than full-scale mergers, closing a loophole that exists in other states for deals to pass with minimal state oversight....
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2016/06/how-hospital-mergers-put-patients-at-risk