Big Medicine: Implications of Vertical Integration for Patients, Providers, and Employers

On Tuesday, May 19, 2026, Georgetown’s Center on Health Insurance Reforms in collaboration with Arnold Ventures hosted a briefing, “Big Medicine: Implications of Vertical Integration for Patients, Providers, and Employers.” 

Speakers included:  

• Erin Fuse Brown, JD, MPH, Professor of Health Services, Policy & Practice, Brown University
• Bob Herman, Business of Health Care Reporter, STAT (Moderator) 
• Jonathan Kanter, JD, Former Assistant Attorney General for the Antitrust Division of the United States 
• Debra Patt, MD, PhD, MBA, Executive Vice President Policy and Strategy, Texas Oncology 
• Misha Sharp, MPH, Assistant Director of Health Policy, 32BJ 

Recommended Readings

• Julia Burleson. Vertical Integration in Health Care: Implications for Consumers, Employers, and Clinicians. Georgetown University, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, May 2026.
• Hayden Rooke-Ley, Anika Shah, Corrie Mook, and Erin Fuse-Brown. Health Care Conglomerates: Policy and Legal Options for Addressing Vertical Integration. Brown University, Center for Advancing Health Policy Through Research, May 2026.
• Linda J. Blumberg, Kevin Lucia, and Kennah Watts. The Complex Web of Health Care Financial Interests and Their Implications for Ever Higher Spending: An Expert Perspective. Georgetown University, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, October 2025.
• CHIR Faculty. How Has Corporatization Transformed Your State’s Health Care Market? Georgetown University, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, March 2026.
• Erin C. Fuse Brown, Hayden Rooke-Ley. Health Care Financialization. Journal of Health Care Law and Policy, 29:1, January 2026.
• Jonathan Kanter, Martin Gaynor. The Rise of Health Care Platforms. JAMA, April 2025.
• Hayden Rooke-Ley, Soleil Shah, and Erin C. Fuse Brown. Medicare Advantage and Consolidation’s New Frontier — The Danger of UnitedHealthcare for All. The New England Journal of Medicine, July 2024.
• Erin C. Fuse Brown. State Strategies to Improve Health Care Market Oversight. Milbank Memorial Fund. February 2026.
• Julia Burleson. State Spotlight: Oregon’s Multi-Pronged Approach to Corporate Influence in Physician Practices. Georgetown University, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, April 2026.
• Stacey Pogue, Kennah Watts. State Spotlight: New Massachusetts Law Enhances Oversight of Private Equity in Health Care. Georgetown University, Center on Health Insurance Reforms, March 2025.

Other Resources