The U.S. Federal Trade Commission has launched a permanent Healthcare Task Force to integrate its enforcement efforts and sharpen its focus on competition within the industry, the agency announced.
The task force, directed by FTC Chairman Andrew N. Ferguson on March 20, 2026, aims to transition the commission away from ad hoc actions toward a more institutionalized and forward-looking approach to oversight. It is specifically designed to implement a February 2025 executive order from President Trump that seeks to lower costs by increasing pricing transparency and empowering patients with actionable information.
The new unit will unify the FTC’s Bureaus of Competition, Consumer Protection, and Economics, alongside its offices of Technology and Policy Planning. By coordinating these historically separate divisions, the agency intends to share market intelligence, investigation leads, and resources more effectively to identify emerging issues and new priority areas for enforcement.
To further deepen its expertise, the task force is seeking to expand its membership to include law enforcement partners such as the Department of Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice. Involvement from the Department of Justice is particularly significant, as it could escalate investigations beyond civil enforcement to include parallel criminal scrutiny for entities under investigation.
Chairman Ferguson noted that healthcare spending accounts for nearly 18% of the U.S. gross domestic product, equating to roughly one out of every five dollars spent in the national economy. He pointed to market consolidation and anticompetitive conduct as primary drivers of high prices and stifled innovation, leaving many Americans unable to afford necessary care.
The FTC cited recent successes as a model for the task force’s future work, including a settlement with Express Scripts projected to reduce patient costs for drugs like insulin by $7 billion over the next decade. The agency also highlighted the abandoned merger between medical device firms Alcon and Lensar as a key competitive victory.
Beyond direct enforcement, the task force plans to play an active role in shaping broader healthcare policy. This will involve conducting “horizon-scanning exercises” and using amicus briefs or statements of interest to influence court rulings and regulatory standards across the industry. By aligning these efforts with national mandates, the FTC positions itself as a central implementer of healthcare competition policy focused on the intersection of pricing, access, and innovation.