Press Release

Statement on DOJ insurance mergers lawsuit

Rick Pollack

AHA President and CEO

The action taken today by the Department of Justice (DOJ) is good news for consumers, who would have faced increased costs and fewer choices for coverage.

Reduced competition in the insurance market threatens to increase the price and availability of coverage for all Americans in virtually every community. It would impede the progress our nation has made in providing affordable coverage to more people. Fewer coverage options for consumers also would undermine the hospital field’s goal of keeping communities vital and healthy through continuous innovation.

Increasing opportunities for consumers to get the care they need is at the heart of what the hospital field stands for. Hospitals want to be able to partner with others, including insurers, to transform care by making it more responsive to the needs of consumers. All of the available evidence shows that as insurers get even larger, their willingness to innovate declines. That would be a setback patients simply can’t endure.

DOJ made the right decision. We hope that it will also encourage insurers to become partners with the hospital field to further accelerate progress in access and affordability to better serve patients.

About the AHA

The AHA is a not-for-profit association of health care provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA is the national advocate for its members, which include nearly 5,000 hospitals, health care systems, networks, other providers of care and 43,000 individual members. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides education for health care leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.