The Medicare Board of Trustees projected that the Hospital Medicare Insurance Trust Fund will be solvent until 2028, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Florida, and Maryland.

• District of Columbia: The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on Thursday announced that it filed lawsuits to prevent RWJBarnabas Health's acquisition of St. Peter's HealthCare System in New Jersey and HCA Healthcare's acquisition of five Steward Health Care System hospitals in Utah. In both mergers, the transactions would remove direct competitors and eliminate incentives to cut prices and improve care, according to Holly Vedova, director of the FTC's bureau of competition. "St. Peter's University Hospital is less than one mile away from [RWJBarnabas] in New Brunswick, and they are the only two hospitals in that city," Vedova said. "There is overwhelming evidence that this acquisition would be bad for patients." In addition, HCA Healthcare and Steward Health Care are the second- and fourth-largest health systems, respectively, in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area. Currently, the companies "keep costs down for consumers by competing vigorously with each other," Vedova said. "If these companies merge, this competition will be lost, and Steward will no longer be available to patients as a low-cost provider in this region." (Kacik, Modern Healthcare, 6/2)

• Florida: Baptist Health South Florida announced that CEO Brian Keeley will officially retire on Sept. 30, 2022, after more than 50 years of service. While his retirement was announced in June 2021, Keeley has been planning for his retirement for years. According to Becker's Hospital Review, Keeley initially considered retiring a few years ago but ultimately decided to postpone his retirement amid several mergers and the Covid-19 pandemic. "The transition's been about three years," Keeley said. "I've been working with a transition committee that includes board members, and we met at the chairman's office. [The health system] interviewed internal and external candidates, [and the selection process for a successor] was done very systematically." After Keeley's retirement, Bo Boulenger, current president and COO, will take over as president and CEO. "I think Bo Boulenger is going to be an exceptional CEO, and I think he and I share the same DNA," Keeley said. " … I know we're well prepared. I feel like it will happen, and no one will even blink an eye. It will be absolutely seamless." (Gooch, Becker's Hospital Review, 6/2)

• Maryland: The Medicare Board of Trustees on Thursday released its annual report that found that the Hospital Medicare Insurance (HI) Trust Fund will be solvent until 2028—a change from last year's forecast of 2026. The fund helps pay for inpatient hospital services, hospice care, and skilled nursing facility and home health services after a hospital stay. According to the report, HI income is expected to be higher than last year's 2026 estimate because of projected increases in the number of covered workers and average wages. The report also estimates that HI expenditures will be lower than 2021's estimates at the start of the short-range period—largely because of the pandemic. "Economic recovery from the 2020 recession has been stronger and faster than assumed in last year's reports, with positive effects on the projected actuarial status of the trust funds in these reports," the report said. However, they are projected to grow after 2023 because of the higher projected provider payment updates. "There is substantial uncertainty in the economic, demographic, and health care projection factors for HI trust fund expenditures and revenues," the report said. "Accordingly, the date of HI trust fund depletion could differ substantially in either direction from the 2028 intermediate estimate." (AP/Modern Healthcare, 6/2; AHA News, 6/2)