As the only other candidate seeking to be elected Rhode Island Attorney General in 2022, members of the community have reach out to me for a reaction to the Attorney General’s decision to block the Lifespan/CNE merger.
The Attorney General’s staff and outside counsel have just released a 150 page report outlining their reasons for the denial. Among my areas of interest is the little weight given to subject-matter experts who evoked concerns about out-of-state, for-profit groups taking over CNE hospitals in the event of a denial. I echo the concerns the report shares about the antitrust issues which would, according to the report, give the newly merged entity approximately 80% control over the hospital marketplace in Rhode Island. As I have stated repeatedly, monopolies do not generally work well for consumers. I hold this to be particularly true in the arena of healthcare.
Rhode Islanders are deeply invested in this potential merger. As the primary challenger to the Attorney General’s re-election, I will be analyzing this report with the same level of scrutiny that Rhode Islanders have come to expect from me during my 12-plus years as a special assistant attorney general, my current work as a private attorney, and my on-going challenges to the politicization of our criminal justice system. Significant aspects of this report have been redacted. I will be requesting a higher level of transparency from the Attorney General’s Office. In the interest of clarity for all Rhode Islanders, it is my hope that the Attorney General will understand the importance of a well-informed citizenry.
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