Alex Kacik

Critics were concerned that the merger would increase the clout of the providers in an already concentrated market and lead to higher health care costs.

The proposed merger of Cottage Health, operator of the only hospitals in South Santa Barbara County and the Santa Ynez Valley, with Sansum Clinic, the largest physician practice in the area, raises questions about cost, quality and access to care.

The Federal Trade Commission and California Attorney General have spent more than three years examining the merger proposal to weigh antitrust concerns.

A long-awaited decision by regulators appears to be imminent on the proposed merger between Cottage Health and Sansum Clinic, which has the largest physician practice in the area with 23 outpatient sites spanning Santa Maria to Santa Barbara.