New health care proposal circulated to Democrats targets private equity
newsMay 26, 2026322
The Searchlight Institute circulated a health care reform proposal to Democratic lawmakers urging limits on private-equity ownership of hospitals and measures to break up hospital monopolies. The plan highlights Steward Health Care's private-equity buyouts beginning in 2010 as an example of leveraged takeovers harming hospital finances and local services. It calls for restricting future buyouts and strengthening oversight of hospital transactions, asset sales, and corporate governance. If Democrats adopt the proposal, it would push policy toward tougher antitrust enforcement and tighter regulation of private equity in health care, with potential effects on hospital ownership and patient access.
