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Sutter Health, a sprawling system of 24 hospitals and 5,500 affiliated doctors, faces trial in San Francisco today over accusations that it used its dominance in Northern California to stifle competition and force patients to pay higher medical bills.

Our colleague Reed Abelson, who covers the business of health care, explains the significance of the case. (Read the full story here.)

You can expect the courtroom to be standing room only for the Sutter antitrust trial. The case is being brought by the state’s attorney general, Xavier Becerra, along with employers and unions that say they have been harmed by Sutter’s actions.

Because Sutter is able to force health plans to include all of its hospitals and doctors in their networks, patients can’t go elsewhere for care that is cheaper or better quality, Mr. Becerra said. He describes Sutter as showing signs of being a “bully.”