US antitrust officials are poised to file lawsuits to block Anthem Inc’s acquisition of Cigna Corp as well as Aetna Inc’s takeover of Humana Inc, a person familiar with the matter told Reuters.
Antitrust regulators have been scrutinizing the deals and looking at the potential for higher prices if the insurance market consolidates so that Anthem, Aetna and UnitedHealth Group Inc, which is not involved in these deals, are the last three national health insurers.
Skepticism that the Anthem-Cigna deal would pass muster has been high for most of that review process, but investors were betting that the Aetna-Humana combination was less troublesome and could be approved if the companies sold some assets.
The department’s decision could be announced by the end of next week, the source familiar with the matter added.
Bloomberg first reported that the Justice Department had decided to sue to block the mergers.
Full Content: Washington Post
Want more news? Subscribe to CPI’s free daily newsletter for more headlines and updates on antitrust developments around the world.
Featured News
UK Probes Lindab’s Acquisition of HAS-Vent Amid Fears of Market Monopoly
Apr 28, 2024 by
CPI
Shein Faces EU Regulations Over User Data
Apr 28, 2024 by
CPI
Google Fights Back Against US Antitrust Lawsuit
Apr 28, 2024 by
CPI
US Homeland Security Establishes Blue-Ribbon Board with Tech CEOs to Advise on AI
Apr 28, 2024 by
CPI
FTC Accuses Amazon Executives of Using Disappearing Messaging Apps to Conceal Evidence
Apr 28, 2024 by
CPI
Antitrust Mix by CPI
Antitrust Chronicle® – Economics of Criminal Antitrust
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Navigating Economic Expert Work in Criminal Antitrust Litigation
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
The Increased Importance of Economics in Cartel Cases
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
A Law and Economics Analysis of the Antitrust Treatment of Physician Collective Price Agreements
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI
Information Exchange In Criminal Antitrust Cases: How Economic Testimony Can Tip The Scales
Apr 19, 2024 by
CPI