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Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita is expressing his opposition for the proposed merger between Union Health and Terre Haute Regional Hospital.
In a letter to the Indiana Department of Health, Rokita said the merger would create a regional monopoly that “would impose a negative impact on Hoosiers in the area seeking quality health care and affordable costs.”
Plans for the two Terre Haute hospitals to merge have been in the works since September 2023, when Union Health applied for a Certificate of Public Advantage, or COPA, which allow hospital mergers that the Federal Trade Commission otherwise considers illegal because they reduce competition and often create monopolies.
The FTC opposed the plan, and Union Health withdrew its application last November. However, the health system filed a new COPA application in February, which again drew opposition from the FTC.
In his letter, Rokita said the consolidation of the two hospitals would “lead to the monopolization of Terre Haute hospital systems that (would) be unchecked in raising health care costs, stifling innovation, suppressing wages, and reducing access to care for the citizens of Terre Haute and the surrounding community.”
The Indiana General Assembly passed a law in 2021 allowing COPAs, though Vigo County was the only Indiana county that meets the criteria for hospitals to receive a COPA.
The original bill was co-authored by Sen. Ed Charbonneau, R-Valparaiso, who has since reversed course and co-authored a bill this year that prohibits submitting applications for a certificate of public advantage after May 13, 2025.
That bill, Senate Enrolled Act 119, was signed into law by Gov. Mike Braun this week.
“Rural health care presents unique problems and concerns for Indiana,” Rokita wrote. “The quality of care and travel distances are obstacles to our rural residents receiving consistent, quality health care. Additionally, most rural hospitals face considerable challenges recruiting skilled professionals to less populated areas.”
The IDOH is hosting a town hall on May 1 in Terre Haute to give residents a chance to share their opinions on the proposed merger.
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