In the past decade, private equity has moved aggressively into health care, gobbling up physician practices and even entire hospitals. But what exactly is private equity? And what does its involvement mean for patients and for the American health care system? KHN explains.

KHN (Kaiser Health News) is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues. Together with Policy Analysis and Polling, KHN is one of the three major operating programs at KFF (Kaiser Family Foundation). KFF is an endowed nonprofit organization providing information on health issues to the nation.