The idea for this issue started with Richard Scheffler and his planning of a symposium at the University of California, Berkeley. The symposium focused on the development of accountable care organizations (ACOs) and on how antitrust policy applies to this new model, which emphasizes cooperation and integration. The bulk of our special issue emerged from the symposium and is Richard's brainchild; however, we also invited additional authors and commentary to round out the many perspectives on the ACOs. We begin the issue with two introductory essays. In the first, I offer a broad overview of how ACOs and antitrust policy fit within a larger historical perspective of health care reform in the United States and how this issue is organized to address these important themes. In the second, Richard Scheffler presents an economic argument for why we might expect ACOs to work in the US context, highlighting various articles in the issue.
We also have a Point-Counterpoint in which Laurence Seidman and Harold Pollack debate whether Medicare for All would be a good reform in light of how far the country has already moved towards implementing the ACA. Enjoy!
