The acclaim: That after years of failed efforts, Rhode Island would finally have an integrated, academic-based health system supporting world-class care and research.
The concern: That such a system could result in layoffs and also prove costly to consumers and insurers, as has happened elsewhere in the United States with mergers.
Sen. Joshua Miller, chairman of the Senate Committee on Health and Human Services, falls in the latter camp.
In an email, Miller cited the experience of Massachusetts-based Partners HealthCare, which merged two major hospital systems, Massachusetts General and Brigham and Women’s. The combined system is now called Mass General Brigham.
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Lifespan, Care New England sign definitive agreement to create integrated health system with Brown University
While observers note that the deal would increase access to care for many consumers, critics say that the merger could lead to less competition, job cuts, and a possible overall increase in health care costs.
By Alexa Gagosz Globe Staff,Updated February 23, 2021, 11:01 a.m.
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The Andrew F. Anderson Emergency Center at Rhode Island Hospital.Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff
PROVIDENCE â For decades, Rhode Islandâs two predominant health care systems have been competitors in a relatively small market, each with their own set of financial pressures.