Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Democratic Senators Ask DOJ To Block Health Insurance Mega-Mergers
Modern Healthcare: Senators Push Justice Department To Halt Health Insurance Mergers
Seven Democratic U.S. senators—including Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut—are urging the U.S. Department of Justice to block the pending health insurance mega-mergers in one of the strongest stances to date against the deals. (Herman, 6/22)
Reuters: Democratic Senators Ask Justice Department To Block Insurance Megamergers
Seven Democratic senators urged the U.S. Justice Department on Wednesday to block two mergers of major health insurance companies, saying that the proposed deals would mean higher premiums and lower-quality healthcare for consumers. The department is reviewing Aetna Inc's $33 billion plan to buy Humana Inc and Anthem Inc's $48 billion proposal to buy Cigna Corp. If approved, the deals, both of which were announced last July, would reduce the number of national health insurance carriers from five to three. (Bartz, 6/22)
The CT Mirror: Blumenthal Asks DOJ To Stop Aetna-Humana, Anthem-Cigna Mergers
Sen. Richard Blumenthal and six other Democrats on the Judiciary Committee asked the Justice Department on Wednesday to block two proposed mergers involving Connecticut health insurers, Aetna-Humana and Anthem-Cigna. “We are deeply concerned by the detrimental impact that both of these mergers would have on premium prices, jobs and health care costs for consumers and businesses,” the senators said in a joint statement. The Justice Department’s Antitrust Division is reviewing the mergers. (Radelat, 6/22)
Also, a new Reuters analysis details how the merger could trigger higher costs for large companies —
Reuters: Exclusive: Analysis Suggests Anthem Deal Could Raise Health Costs
As questions mount over whether health insurer Anthem Inc's (ANTM.N) proposed $48 billion purchase of Cigna Corp (CI.N) will win U.S. antitrust approval, an exclusive analysis produced for Reuters suggests the merger could lead to higher costs for large companies offering workplace medical benefits. (Humer and Bartz, 6/23)
