Here are five insights:
1. In exchange for lower premiums, the proposed plan would limit access to providers online in the joint Advocate-NorthShore system.
2. The proposed system would be the largest in the region, with more than a dozen hospitals as well as a medical group of more than 2,000 physicians plus independent physicians affiliated with the hospitals.
3. The Federal Trade Commission has challenged the merger on antitrust grounds, arguing that the combined health system would have too much market power in northern Cook and southern Lake counties, and the networks’ combined market share could lead to higher prices.
4. In defense of the merger, Advocate and NorthShore are saying that the combination will deliver better healthcare at a lower cost.
5. The insurance product would be priced 10 percent below the least costly major HMO plan in the area, which would result in hundreds of dollars of savings per member per year.
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