DOJ settlement forces OhioHealth to change contracting, prompting hospitals to review payer agreements

The Department of Justice and the Ohio attorney general announced a proposed antitrust settlement that requires nonprofit OhioHealth to stop using certain contracting practices that were said to keep health insurers from offering lower‑cost policies.

The agreement arrived just four months after the lawsuit was filed, and experts say its speed and decisiveness should serve as a warning to other health systems to examine their own payer contracts.

Legal analysts expect lawyers will become busy reviewing payer agreements to ensure they comply with the new expectations and avoid similar enforcement actions.