Encourage and support the growth of alternative, independent home health providers and hospice companies to maintain competition.
Reduce harm by strengthening independent providers and making sure any divested assets become real competitors, not placeholders. Use policy support, stakeholder coordination, and practical capacity-building so seniors and families keep nearby options even if consolidation proceeds. This is a longer-horizon approach that complements litigation and remedy monitoring, especially in local markets where choice is already thin.
Why this works
- Strengthening competitors mitigates harm – for instance, if BrightSpring (KKR-owned) is not ideal, maybe regional hospital systems or nonprofits could expand home health services as an alternative.
- Some state Attorneys General might facilitate local buyers for any assets sold.
- By focusing on building a competitive ecosystem (like spurring innovation in at-home care tech for new entrants), we reduce reliance on one giant.
Families USA
AdvocacyVoice for health care consumers
Mechanism
About LobbyingHow Families USA uses funding
- Identify where local competition is most at risk and what options exist today.
- Support capacity-building for independent and nonprofit providers that can serve those areas.
- Advocate for policies that do not structurally disadvantage smaller providers.
- Coordinate with enforcers so divestiture buyers (if used) are viable and independent.
- Monitor contracting and referral dynamics for signs competitors are being squeezed out.
Milestones
Checkpoints and the expected timing for each step
- 1
Local competition risk map completed
Near-termPriority markets and the most vulnerable service gaps are identified and documented.
- 2
Independent-provider support plan launched
Early implementationConcrete supports and partnerships are in place to strengthen alternatives.
- 3
Divestiture buyer viability reviewed
If divestitures are usedBuyers are assessed for independence and ability to operate competitively.
- 4
Post-merger monitoring cadence set
Post-decisionA repeatable process tracks whether choice and competition are being preserved.