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California's attorney general sued Sutter Health, accusing the hospital giant of illegally quashing competition and for years overcharging consumers and employers.The lawsuit marked a bold move by state Attorney General Xavier Becerra against the dominant health care system in Northern California as concerns mount nationally about consolidation among hospitals, insurers and other industry middlemen."It's time to hold health care corporations accountable," Becerra said at a news conference Friday. "We seek to stop Sutter from continuing this illegal conduct."The antitrust suit, filed in San Francisco County Superior Court, asks the court to prevent Sutter from engaging in anticompetitive practices and "overcharges."It said Sutter employs a variety of improper tactics, such as gag clauses on prices, "punitively high" out-of-network charges and "all-or-nothing" contract terms that require all of its facilities to be included in insurance networks.Taken together, Sutter's actions "improperly block any and all practical efforts to foster or encourage price competition between Sutter and any rival Healthcare Providers or Hospital Systems," according to the state's complaint. "Sutter's conduct injured the general economy of Northern California and thus of the state.Sutter, which owns 24 hospitals, reported net income of 3 million last year on .4 billion in revenue. Sutter's nonprofit health system also has 35 surgery centers, 32 urgent-care clinics and more than 5,000 physicians in its network.In a statement, Sutter it was reviewing the complaint and couldn't comment on specific claims.Overall, Sutter said, "healthy competition and choice exists across Northern California" for consumers seeking medical care. It also said its charges for an inpatient stay are lower than what other nearby hospitals charge."Sutter Health is proud to save patients, government payers and health plans hundreds of millions of dollars each year by providing more efficient and integrated care," the statement said.This high-profile legal fight caught the attention of employers and policymakers across the country amid growing alarm about the financial implications of industry consolidation. Large health systems are gaining market clout and the ability to raise prices by acquiring more hospitals, outpatient surgery centers and physicians' practices.Martin Gaynor, a health care economist at Carnegie Mellon University, said California's lawsuit may portend more litigation at the state level."There are a number of markets in the U.S. that are dominated by one very large, powerful health system," Gaynor said. "It could be that we're going to see a new level of activity by state antitrust enforcers looking at competition in their own backyards."Glenn Melnick, an economist and expert on hospital finances at the University of Southern California, said if the state prevails against Sutter it could put "a chill on anticompetitive practices that are being adopted across the U.S. and that could help slow down hospital price increases. That would be good news for consumers."The complaints about Sutter's high prices and market power have persisted for years.The state said its investigation started in 2012 under Kamala Harris, California's previous attorney general and now a U.S. senator. Six years ago, her office sent subpoenas to several health systems and insurers seeking information about market concentration and its effect on medical prices.A 2016 study found that hospital prices at Sutter and Dignity Health, the two biggest hospital chains in California, were 25% higher than at other hospitals around the state. Researchers at the University of Southern California said the giant health systems used their market power to drive up prices — making the average patient admission at both chains nearly ,000 more expensive.Last week, researchers at University of California, Berkeley issued a report that examined the consolidation of the hospital, physician and health insurance markets in California from 2010 to 2016. The authors said 44 of California's 58 counties had "highly concentrated" hospital markets.After the report was issued Monday, Becerra said his office would be reviewing those findings and pledged to apply more scrutiny to health care mergers and anti-competitive practices across the state.Sutter Health has gobbled up doctors' practices across the Bay Area, gaining market muscle that has pushed costs upward. Obstetricians employed by Sutter Health, for example, are reimbursed about three times more for the same service than independent doctors, according to a KHN review of OB-GYN charges on several insurers' online cost estimators. It's a key reason why Northern California is the most expensive place in the country to have a baby.At his news conference, Becerra said he's committed to scrutinizing other players besides Sutter in the health care industry who may be engaging in anticompetitive behavior and potentially harming consumers.Consumer advocates and state lawmakers applauded Becerra's aggressive action because of the toll high prices take on millions of Californians. Many residents struggle to pay rising insurance premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for emergency room visits or routine hospital tests."Consumers bear the burden of these monopolistic activities," said state Sen. Ed Hernandez (D-West Covina), chairman of the Senate health committee. "To ensure health care is affordable and accessible to all, we have to get a handle on predatory pricing."In many ways, Becerra's lawsuit mirrors a similar civil case filed in 2014 by a grocery workers' health plan.The attorney general's office filed a motion in court asking for its lawsuit and the class action to go to trial together before the same judge. The trial is scheduled for June 2019 in San Francisco."While we certainly would have preferred this happened earlier, we respect the attorney general's care in conducting a thorough investigation before filing charges," said Richard Grossman, the lead plaintiffs' lawyer representing the class of more than 1,500 employer-funded health plans.In its lawsuit, the attorney general's office blamed Sutter for much of the increase in health care costs across Northern California because "Sutter embarked on an intentional, and successful, strategy of securing market power in certain local markets." State lawyers also pointed out that Sutter's conduct triggered an "umbrella effect" by encouraging other providers to raise their own prices.The state's lawsuit said Sutter used its windfall from excessive prices to acquire more hospitals and medical groups. It also enabled Sutter to "bestow extremely high salaries for its officers and upper management," according to the state complaint.Patrick Fry, Sutter's chief executive from 2005 to 2016, had .4 million in total compensation during his last year there, according to Sutter's 990 tax filing for 2016, the most recent year available.Overall, 18 executives at Sutter had million or more in total compensation during 2016, the federal tax filing shows.Karen Garner, a Sutter spokeswoman, said Fry's compensation in 2016 reflects retirement benefits he accrued over many years. She added that "industry comparisons show our salaries are reasonable and competitive, given the size, scope and complexity of our organization." 7370

CHARLOTTE COUNTY, Fla. -- A Polk County, Florida man is pleading for a thief to return a sentimental wedding gift that was stolen out of a family member's truck in Port Charlotte.Boomer Bass left for a fishing trip on Little Gasparilla Island last week, and thought it was best to leave his Springfield 1911 Range Officer Gun with a family member, rather than bring it with him.On April 19th, Bass's mother reported that the gun was stolen out of his truck in the Water's Edge neighborhood in Englewood. The gun holds sentimental value to Bass. "I had a gun very similar to this one when I was younger," he said. "I sold it to help a friend of mine out, and I really regretted selling that gun." With this in mind, his wife, Stefanie, made the decision to buy him that same gun on the morning of their wedding. They married in October of last year. "She went and bought that gun for me and gave it to me that night at our wedding reception, actually," Bass said. "I think the gun signified, really, that she understood the generosity I showed when I was younger, and she wanted to show me she would be the kind of wife that would do those things for me."Stealing a gun is a felony in the state of Florida. However, Bass says if the thief wants to return his gun, he would accept it with no questions asked. "Hopefully, you feel like you made a mistake. I will not prosecute, I will not pursue any legal action. All I want is this gun back," he said. Bass said he is willing to pay the retail price for a brand new gun if his is returned safely. It is a Springfield 1911 Range Officer with wood grips, night sights, blued finish, serial # NM502637. "I'm begging you...to anyone else, this is just a gun," he said. "But to me, it means more than I can even put into words."If you have any information that could help lead Bass to his sentimental wedding gift, or you are in possession of it, he asks that you contact him directly on Facebook at Boomer Bass.  2039

BUIZINGEN, Belgium (AP) — To ensure the merriment of millions of Belgian children, the government is offering a special exemption from the stringent coronavirus measures to beloved St. Nicholas. The saint always delivers bountiful presents on the morning of Dec. 6. In a tongue-in-cheek letter Thursday, Belgium's health and interior ministers soothed the worries of youngsters fearing they might go without presents. The officials said Nicholas wouldn’t have to quarantine after arriving in Belgium from Spain, where he lives, and would be able to walk rooftops to drop gifts into chimneys even during curfew hours. They wrote: "Do what you do best: make every child happy. We are counting on you.” 707

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) -- Police in Carlsbad are investigating following an apparent murder-suicide Tuesday afternoon.Police were contacted by the family of a man who reportedly said he had killed his wife around noon Tuesday.Investigators discovered that the man was driving around the southern part of Carlsbad in his car.When officers found the vehicle they discovered a deceased 89-year-old passenger and a deceased 92-year-old driver inside.At this time, the circumstances surrounding the incident are unclear. Police say the Medical Examiner will release the identities. 585

CARLSBAD, Calif. (KGTV) — LEGOLAND California helped make the season bright for one lucky 11-year-old who in return, helped usher in the holidays at the park.Gideon Robinson, an 11-year-old cancer survivor from Lake Elsinore, and his family helped the park light its 30-foot tall LEGO Christmas tree in the park's Fun Town. After pulling the switch, Robinson helped illuminate the tree's 11,000+ twinkling lights, which is set atop more than 400 LEGO decorations and 245,000 green DUPLO bricks.Robinson was given a star ornament and special invitation to the park's LEGO Movie World expansion set to open next year. He and his family were also treated to a stay at the LEGOLAND Castle Hotel.Robinson is a two-time cancer survivor who was first diagnosed with acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia a week after his fifth birthday and again in 2019 after a short remission before receiving news that he had beaten leukemia."During these unprecedented times when so many are faced with challenges, it’s positive stories such as Gideon’s that provide inspiration to all of us," said LEGOLAND California Resort President Kurt Stocks. "It’s an absolute pleasure and honor to have Gideon and his family officially light the LEGO Christmas tree this year and help LEGOLAND California bring some holiday hope to families this winter." 1324

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