Committee advances Health System Protection Act to let attorney general review certain health care transactions

The House Health Committee voted to report House Bill 1460, the Health System Protection Act as amended, which creates a notice and review process for certain health care facility transactions and gives the Office of the Attorney General authority to examine transactions that may be “against the public interest.”

Under the amended bill, parties to a transaction involving a for‑profit hospital, for‑profit nursing home or other covered health care entity must file notice with the attorney general for transactions exceeding a materiality threshold; the committee amendment raised that threshold from $5 million to $10 million. The attorney general would have a 60‑day initial review period (down from 90 days in the original draft), with a court‑approved mechanism for additional extensions; the amendment also removed…