ACP praises court’s decision to block Anthem-Cigna health insurance merger

The American College of Physicians (ACP) today praised this morning's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholding a lower court ruling halting the proposed $54 billion insurance merger between Anthem and Cigna. The ruling over the potential impact on competition and insurance prices is a big "win" for patients and the physicians who care for them.

As a primary care internist, I am relieved that the proposed merger will be blocked. This merger would have resulted in higher prices and less competition, and ultimately resulted in a strain on patients, both in their choice of insurance provider and in the cost that would be passed on to them.

In a January 23 ruling, a federal judge blocked a similar proposed merger between health insurers Aetna and Humana.

ACP has stated its strong opposition to the proposed merger in a letter and subsequent conversations with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, and in a position statement in 2015.

Other health care organizations have joined ACP in praising today's ruling as a win for consumers and patients.

Source: https://www.acponline.org/acp-newsroom/american-college-of-physicians-praises-blocked-health-insurance-merger-0