With Beth Israel-Lahey merger, state charts new course on health care

The decision by Attorney General Maura Healey to allow the merger of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Lahey Health marks the start of a great experiment in Massachusetts health care. The hypothesis behind the approval: Allowing the formation of a new large health system — with price caps and other constraints — will keep medical costs in check, ensure access for vulnerable populations, and provide a healthy dose of new competition to market leader Partners HealthCare.