Private equity (PE) investment in healthcare has surged around the world over the past years. Nevertheless mixed opinions exists as to its value and implications for the healthcare system and the patients. In this context, the case of PE investment in the healthcare sector in the United States (US) has been largely criticized in the literature, whereby the key lines of concern have revolved around such issues as care delivery, provider ownership, and patient experience. Indeed, the US private equity investors spent more than $200 billion on health care acquisitions in 2021; with over $1 trillion invested over the decade 2010–2020. Investment was concentrated in high-margin specialist practices, hospitals, nursing homes, physician groups, and emergency care services. Admittedly, the PE business model is based on maximizing financial returns through leveraged buyouts, cost containment, and short-term asset management. While this model offers potential operational efficiencies, evidence links PE ownership to worsened patient care outcomes, increased healthcare costs, reduced access for vulnerable populations, and operational instability. By focusing on the case of the US, this paper reviews PE’s business structure, its sectoral spread, impact on outcomes and costs, and the evolving regulatory landscape. By referencing the case of the European Union (EU) and the EU member-states, this paper seeks to navigate the contingencies of PE investing in the US healthcare, thus adding to the still nascent debate on how to tame the PE potential to the benefit of the society.