Civil Plaintiff
Sutter Health’s $575M Antitrust Settlement Gains Preliminary Approval
Dive Brief:
- A San Francisco Superior Court judge has granted preliminary approval of the $575 million settlement agreement Sutter Health reached in the antitrust case that alleges it drove up healthcare prices in Northern California through anticompetitive practices.
- A hearing for final approval of the settlement has been set for July 19, according to the judge’s order issued Tuesday.
- Now, class members, or certain self-funded payers in California, will be notified of the preliminary approval and may object to part or all of the settlement agreement.
Dive Insight:
This preliminary approval comes more than a year after Sutter Health first agreed to settle the case with the plaintiffs, including California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, now a nominee for HHS secretary, and a grocer’s union.
To put the settlement and all its elements in motion, it must first be approved by a judge. Tuesday’s order moves the case one step closer to final approval.
