Attorney General Tong and Senator Looney Announce Former FTC Chair Lina Khan to Join Connecticut Forum on Impact of Healthcare Consolidation on Health Equity

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01/23/2026

Attorney General Tong and Senator Looney Announce Former FTC Chair Lina Khan to Join Connecticut Forum on Impact of Healthcare Consolidation on Health Equity

(Hartford, CT) - Attorney General William Tong and Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney announced today they are jointly hosting a Forum on the Impact of Healthcare Consolidation on Health Equity on Thursday, January 29 in Hartford. Former Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan will join Attorney General Tong and Senator Looney for a fireside chat about her efforts to reinvigorate the FTC's approach to antitrust and oversight of healthcare mergers to better protect patients, workers, and marginalized communities.

The forum will take place from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Thursday, January 29 at The Lyceum at 227 Lawrence Street in Hartford. Seats are limited. Participation is free but registration is required: https://forms.office.com/g/eCCc25h2uW

The forum will bring together lawmakers, advocates, healthcare professionals, patients, state officials, policy experts, and interested community members for a day-long discussion on the impact of healthcare consolidation, including private equity, on health equity in our communities. Participants will learn about the changing healthcare landscape and the impact of those changes on our communities. Attendees will also learn about state regulation and enforcement, hear a federal enforcement perspective, and discuss potential policy solutions.

"Connecticut knows all too well what can go terribly wrong when consolidation robs communities of healthcare options and private equity is allowed to strip-mine local healthcare. Connecticut can and should strengthen oversight and transparency around these transactions and acquisitions. I thank former FTC Chair Lina Khan for lending her visionary expertise and Senator Looney for his partnership on this forum as we head into the legislative session," said Attorney General Tong.

"Health care management and regulation should not be under the control of entities whose primary motivation is profit and not the provision of excellent care. I thank Attorney General Tong for his initiative in convening this valuable and timely forum to highlight best practices and the dangers of regarding health care as merely another commercial commodity to be manipulated and marketed to enhance shareholder value," said Senator Looney.

Additional participants to include:

• Comptroller Sean Scanlon
• Ayesha Clark, Executive Director of Health Equity Solutions
• Yashaswini Singh, Healthcare Economist and Assistant Professor of Health Services, Policy, and Practice at Brown University
• Kurt Barwis, President and Chief Executive Officer of Bristol Hospital and Health Care Group
• Nicole Demers, Antitrust Section Chief, Office of the Attorney General
• Sasha Hayes-Rusnov, Esq., Director for Market Oversight and Monitoring, Mass. Health Policy Commission
• Boyd Jackson, Director of Legislation and Regulation, CT Office of Health Strategy
• Vicki Veltri, Senior Policy Fellow, National Academy of State Health Policy
• Tiffany Donelson, President and CEO of the CT Health Foundation

Attorney General Tong thanks the Connecticut Health Foundation for its generous support of this forum.

Media Contact:

Elizabeth Benton [email protected]

Consumer Inquiries:

860-808-5318 [email protected]

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