Aetna to give DOJ more time to review its proposed acquisition of Humana

Aetna Inc. will refile its premerger notification to give the Department of Justice additional time to review its proposed acquisition of Humana Inc., according to forms filed this week with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The health insurer said it expects to refile the notification by today, which would initiate a new 30-day waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvement Act. AHA is reviewing the potential impact of the proposed deal on hospitals and health systems and plans to submit comments to DOJ. In a letter to the agency this month, AHA said both Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s proposed acquisition of Cigna have “the very real potential” to substantially reduce competition and the insurers’ willingness to partner with health care providers and consumers in transforming care. For more, see yesterday’s AHASTAT blog post and www.advancinghealthinamerica.org.