War Of Words: Accusations Of Sabotage, Harassment Fly As Anthem-Cigna Feud Bubbles Over
The rift that began as the two companies sought federal approval for a mega-merger has grown only deeper since the deal was blocked.
Bloomberg:
Anthem, Cigna Blast One Another Over Blocked Insurer Merger
Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc. traded accusations of harassment and sabotage in competing lawsuits as the two health companies feud publicly in the wake of a stalled $48 billion merger. Cigna accused Anthem of trying to undermine its business by stealing confidential information and harassing its customers. Anthem blamed Cigna for the deal’s failure, saying its Chief Executive Officer David Cordani sabotaged the companies’ merger when Anthem rejected his demand to be made chief executive officer of the combined entity. (McLaughlin, Harris and Feeley, 2/17)
In other health industry news —
The Philadelphia Inquirer:
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield To Pay $1.1 Million For Data Breach
Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey agreed to pay $1.1 million to settle allegations that it failed to encrypt the personal data of nearly 690,000 policyholders on two laptop computers that were stolen from the company's Newark, N.J., headquarters in November 2013, the New Jersey Division of Consumer Affairs said Friday. As part of the settlement, Horizon must hire an outside expert to analyze security risks associated with the storage, transmission, and receipt of electronic-protected health information and to submit a report of those findings to the Division of Consumer Affairs within 180 days of the settlement and then annually for two years. (Brubaker, 2/17)
USA Today:
Business, Community Groups Boost Health Partnerships
The political divisions that characterize so much of Washington fell away this week, as representatives of business, public health organizations and government said they can work together to improve the health of Americans. Participants at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation’s Health Means Business summit agreed on several ways to boost health to prevent disease and save money, which showed reason for optimism, said Risa Lavizzo-Mourey, CEO of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. (O'Donnell, 2/17)
