On 21st May, after a decade-long wait, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) absolved 12 Delhi-based super-speciality hospitals of allegations that they had subjected patients to exorbitantly markedup healthcare charges. In what may prove to be a historic missed opportunity, the CCI effectively declined to intervene by holding that the regulation of healthcare pricing falls within the Government’s domain and that the Commission itself is not a price regulator. The ruling is not only legally questionable but also sets a troubling precedent where the CCI appears to have overlooked its preambular mandate to protect consumers in India’s $372-billion healthcare industry