PinnacleHealth-Hershey Med merger: close scrutiny expected

Hospitals used to merge with little outside interference – even though the mergers often led to higher prices for consumers. But amid a national wave of merger and consolidation and concerns about the results, the Federal Trade Commission has become more likely to block a merger. The proposed merger of PinnacleHealth System and Penn State Milton S. Hershey Medical Center will likely receive a rigorous review from the FTC. It will likely draw a similar review from the Pennsylvania attorney general's office, which sometimes collaborates with the FTC in challenging mergers.