Hospitals, Doctors Face Off Over FTC’s Proposed Noncompete Ban

Hospitals and physicians crowded the FTC’s inbox with calls for the agency to consider the industry’s unique features and doctor-patient relationships as it looks to potentially ban employer-imposed noncompete agreements.

The Federal Trade Commission received nearly 27,000 public comments on the proposed rule to ban nearly all noncompete agreements, which are used by employers to stop departing employees from working for competitors.

The proposal has engendered loud reactions from a wide variety of sectors, ranging from fast-food franchisees and professors to software engineers. A ban would affect approximately 30 million Americans and increase wages by nearly $300 billion per year, ...