HCA Healthcare

A putative class-action lawsuit has been filed against HCA Healthcare in North Carolina alleging the company is abusing monopoly power it adopted through its $1.5 billion acquisition of Mission Health in 2019.

The lawsuit, filed earlier this week by residents and business owners that live within Mission Health’s service area, alleges Nashville-based HCA sought the deal intending to run an “unregulated monopoly” in the Western part of the state. That, they say, has resulted in increases to insurance premiums in the region due to the health system’s inflated prices and residents’ lack of alternative options.