More than a year ago, they wanted to take it to Intermountain Healthcare by imposing a tax on the state's largest health-care network, which is either revered for its charitable mission or reviled for its perceived monopolistic business practices.

Instead, lawmakers agreed to a compromise — a task force charged with studying various aspects of the state's health-care system, namely competition within the system, the business and financial practices of health-care providers and the tax-exempt status of nonprofit organizations.

On Monday, the Privately Owned Health Care Task Force will meet for the final time, marking an end to the twice-monthly, four-hour meetings that were often contentious and, at times, downright nasty. During the hearings, non-Intermountain Healthcare doctors, insurers and hospital administrators spoke about fear of retaliation from the organization, which had dozens of representatives at each meeting and was often put on the spot to defend its practices.

So, what has come of the 20 meetings where the 15-member body waded through mountains of data and hours of testimony?

Some say nothing, while others, including Intermountain's harshest critic, contend the health-care giant has changed as have their opinions of it.

Though the statute creating the task force never mentions Intermountain Healthcare by name, when asked, every task force member who responded to Deseret Morning News inquiries immediately brought up the nonprofit health-care organization.

"They were the 1,000-pound gorilla, they could do and get away with anything they wanted," said Sen. Ed Mayne, D-West Valley. "I think that they have recognized after all this testimony came out that all was not well in River City. ... I think that this was an awakening to them on a lot of issues."

Rep. James Dunnigan, R-Taylorsville, agreed.

"I think it was a, and I hate to use this cliche, a big wake-up call, but I think it was," he said. "(Intermountain) had a good mind-set that they were a good player in the community, and I think that's probably justified ... but their competitors and their providers didn't necessarily view it that way."

Privately, some Intermountain competitors have said they see little change in the company's business practices and level of cooperation, despite assertions like those from Rep. Brad Dee, R-Washington Terrace, that "perceptions have changed on all of the parts of private health-care providers" as a result of the task force.

Indeed, many lawmakers, some former critics, are now singing the praises of Intermountain, which, in the past two years has dropped its familiar "IHC" nickname and renamed its health insurance plans "SelectHealth."