Use antitrust law to cut health costs?

Steve Pearlstein says it could do more to lower costs than the “public option”:

To address the pricing power of the big hospital chains, the government could require that they offer the same set of prices to all private insurers. Congress could also toughen antitrust laws to make it more difficult for hospitals in the same region to merge and require the breakup of chains that charge rates that are significantly higher than in other markets.

Great idea, but campaign contribution dinero will kill that in a New York Times minute.