Today, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson directed FTC staff to establish a Healthcare Task Force. This initiative aims to create a coordinated approach to healthcare enforcement and advocacy, focusing on protecting American patients, healthcare workers, and taxpayers.

The Healthcare Task Force will lead targeted enforcement initiatives, devise agency-wide strategies for investigations, and proactively identify opportunities for amicus briefs and statements of interest. Additionally, it will seek to expand its membership to include other agencies and law enforcement partners, such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.

This task force is part of the FTC's broader efforts to foster a competitive, innovative, and affordable healthcare system, as outlined in President Trump's executive order. Over the past year, the FTC has achieved significant victories, including a landmark settlement with Express Scripts, Inc., which is expected to lower drug costs for patients, and successful challenges to mergers that would have reduced competition.

Chairman Ferguson's establishment of the Healthcare Task Force underscores the FTC's commitment to addressing both existing and emerging consumer protection and competition issues within the healthcare industry.