It's time to put patients over monopolies.
Healthcare costs in southeast Michigan are rising even faster than almost anywhere else in the country—and the number one reason is hospital consolidation. Over the past decade, three large hospital systems have gained near-monopoly control of the market. When a small number of systems dominate, they can dictate prices, restrict competition, and force insurers into contracts that drive up premiums and out-of-pocket costs for every family.
One of the biggest hidden drivers of healthcare inflation is the use of anti-steering and anti-tiering clauses in hospital-insurer contracts. These fine-print restrictions block insurers from rewarding lower-cost, higher-quality providers. They prevent patients from seeing prices, comparing options, or choosing providers that deliver the best value. The result? Higher bills, fewer choices, and no accountability.
To fix this, Roman will push for contracts which reward competition and empower patient choice.
We can lower healthcare costs without raising taxes, expanding bureaucracy, or imposing new mandates. Lansing should prohibit anti-competitive contract clauses that keep patients from accessing more affordable options. By restoring competition and empowering insurers to incentivize high-value care, we can:
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Lower premiums and out-of-pocket costs
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Expand patient choice
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Reward high-quality independent providers
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Reduce the monopolistic pressure that drives prices up for everyone
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This is a market-based solution that puts patients—not hospital monopolies—back in control. We can bring down costs, increase transparency, and strengthen competition simply by ending the contract tricks that have allowed a few large systems to dominate Michigan’s healthcare market.