AHA submits comments on proposed health insurance consolidations

Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana and Anthem’s proposed acquisition of Cigna “have the very real potential to reduce competition substantially, increase the cost of premiums, and diminish the insurers’ willingness to be innovative partners with providers and consumers in transforming health care,” the AHA told the Department of Justice and Department of Health and Human Services in a letter yesterday. In the letter, which focuses on Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana, AHA Senior Vice President and General Counsel Melinda Hatton writes that the deal “raises particular concerns about an adverse impact on the Medicare Advantage program,” noting that “more than 2.7 million seniors are enrolled in Medicare Advantage plans operated by the companies in more than 1,000 markets that would become highly concentrated.” The AHA submitted comments focused on Anthem’s acquisition of Cigna on Aug. 5.