Antitrust laws a hurdle to healthcare overhaul

Antitrust lawyers say doctors, hospitals, insurance companies and drug makers will be running huge legal risks if they get together and agree on a strategy to hold down prices and reduce the growth of health spending. Robert F. Leibenluft, a former official at the Federal Trade Commission, said, "Any agreement among competitors with regard to prices or price increases—even if they set a maximum—would raise legal concerns." Already, some leaders of the healthcare industry who appeared at the White House on May 11 say the president may have overstated their cost-control commitment.