US: Connecticut joins DOJ fight against Anthem-Cigna merger

Attorney General George Jepsen said Connecticut will join the US Department of Justice and 11 other state attorneys general in filing an antitrust lawsuit to block a merger between Indianapolis-based Anthem and Bloomfield, Conn.-based Cigna.

Connecticut filed the lawsuit after a year-long investigation of the transaction’s possible effects on competition. All of Connecticut’s five metropolitan markets would be included in the 35 markets nationwide the DOJ projected to be negatively impacted by the merger.

“Following this due diligence, it is our firm belief that, if allowed to proceed, this merger would substantially lessen competition for the provision of healthcare insurance services, in that it would have a negative impact on both the availability of competitively priced healthcare and the quality of care in the state of Connecticut,” Mr. Jepsen said.

Mr. Jepsen said Connecticut has not filed a lawsuit against a proposed merger between Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna and Louisville, Ky.-based Humana because Humana does not sell Medicare Advantage plans in the state or traditional health plans in the state’s consumer and employer markets.

Full Content: Becker’s Hospital Review

Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.