Feds Sue OhioHealth for Allegedly Blocking Lower-Cost Health Plans

Justice Department and Ohio accuse health system of anticompetitive contracts that raise healthcare costs in central Ohio

Published on Feb. 20, 2026

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The Justice Department and the state of Ohio have filed a civil antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth, alleging the 16-hospital system used anticompetitive contract provisions to drive up healthcare costs for patients and employers in central Ohio by preventing insurers from offering lower-cost, 'budget-conscious' health plans.

Why it matters

This lawsuit highlights concerns about healthcare consolidation and the ability of dominant health systems to leverage their market power to limit competition and keep costs high for consumers, even when quality metrics do not show consistently higher performance compared to competitors.

The details

The complaint accuses OhioHealth of imposing contractual restrictions on commercial payers that prevented them from offering lower-cost health plans. OhioHealth allegedly required insurers to include its facilities in all of their commercial insurance networks, effectively blocking payers from offering plans that steer patients to lower-cost competitors or provide price transparency tools.

  • The lawsuit was filed on February 20, 2026.

The players

OhioHealth

A 16-hospital health system that is the dominant provider in the Columbus, Ohio market.

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center

A competitor to OhioHealth in the Columbus market.

Mount Carmel Health System

A competitor to OhioHealth in the Columbus market, owned by Trinity Health.

Department of Justice

The federal agency that filed the antitrust lawsuit against OhioHealth.

Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost

The state attorney general who joined the lawsuit against OhioHealth.

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What they’re saying

“OhioHealth has been cooperating with the Department of Justice throughout its review of our managed care agreements. We are confident in our position and remain committed to full compliance with all applicable laws and regulatory requirements.”

— OhioHealth spokesperson (Becker's Hospital Review)

What’s next

The lawsuit seeks to block OhioHealth from enforcing contract provisions that restrict insurers from offering plans that provide financial incentives or information encouraging members to use competing providers. It also asks the court to prohibit OhioHealth from retaliating against insurers that attempt to introduce such plans.

The takeaway

This case highlights ongoing concerns about healthcare consolidation and the ability of dominant providers to use their market power to limit competition and keep costs high for consumers, even when quality metrics do not show consistently superior performance compared to rivals.