{Kentucky}...The Federal Trade Commission has given its approval for the proposed merger which will combine University Hospital with Jewish Hospital & St. Mary's Health Care and Lexington-based St. Joseph Health System to create Kentucky’s largest health-care system. St. Joseph’s parent company, Catholic Health Initiatives, has agreed to invest $320 million into the venture. The FTC says the merger would not hurt competition in the health care marketplace. Baptist Hospital East will perform tubal ligations and other reproductive procedures that University and Jewish hospitals wouldn't be able to do under the merger. The merger still needs approval from Governor Steve Beshear and the Catholic Church before it can take effect. The proposal has generated some opposition because the hospitals involved have agreed to honor Catholic health-care directives, which doesn't allow sterilization and some other reproductive care.
