Cons & cons: The Tipline for 16 August 2022

Federal Trade Commission staff have issued a policy paper deriding the agency’s storied nemesis, certificates of public advantage (COPA). The paper – issued following a unanimous vote from the commissioners – failed to identify any pros for state-mandated monopolies in healthcare markets in North Carolina, Maine and Montana. “Despite hospital claims that COPAs will result in lower costs and improved population health outcomes, we are not aware of any proven benefits of COPAs,” said Elizabeth Wilkins, director of the commission’s office of policy planning.