BATON ROUGE, LA – Attorney General Jeff Landry issued the
following statement after his office was notified that LCMC Health filed suit
against the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the U.S. Department of Justice
(USDOJ) over the federal government’s challenge of the Certificate of Public
Advantage (COPA) approved by his office last year:
“It is troubling that, more than 100 days after the COPA was
approved, the federal government is now trying to impose its will on an
agreement that received tremendous support from the community.
Throughout our lengthy and transparent process, the FTC
never submitted a public comment; they did not attend the public hearing; and
they still have not contacted our office to communicate any issues or concerns
with the COPA.
LCMC and Tulane exceeded the statutory burden of proof
required to issue a COPA. The merger will enhance competition, lead to greater
access to health care, result in higher quality health care, and will likely
not result in undue increases to costs. The agreement guarantees ongoing
oversight to ensure fair prices for consumers. What’s more: it will provide a
world-class medical education program for both med students and nurses, at a
time when our State and our Nation are faced with a nursing shortage.
It is upsetting that the federal government would attempt to
disrupt increased access to quality health care in a community with so many underserved
minorities. Instead of focusing on unfair
and deceptive trade practices of PBM’s, the FTC is spending resources opposing
a deal that is already closed.
I will explore all of our State’s legal options to fight
this federal overreach.”