U.S. Court of Appeals upholds ruling to block Anthem-Cigna merger
News: 2017 Press Release
SACRAMENTO, Calif. — Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones applauds today's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia to uphold the lower court ruling blocking the proposed merger of Anthem and Cigna.
"Today's federal appellate court decision affirming the district court's permanent injunction blocking the merger of two of the nation's largest health insurers is a significant win for consumers who need more choice, not less, in an already highly concentrated health insurance market. Bigger was definitely not better for consumers when it came to the Anthem-Cigna merger," said Commissioner Jones. "Competition helps restrain prices, provides choice, and improves quality. The Anthem-Cigna merger would have reduced competition in a market already dominated by just a few health insurers."
Last year Commissioner Jones held an extensive public hearing where members of the public, Anthem and Cigna executives, consumer advocates, medical professionals, and anti-trust experts provided testimony regarding potential impacts of the proposed Anthem-Cigna merger. After reviewing all the evidence, Jones concluded the Anthem-Cigna merger was bad for consumers and businesses, and bad for health insurance markets. Jones issued detailed findings of fact and law and urged the U.S. Department of Justice to block the merger because it is anti-competitive and would harm California consumers, businesses, and the California health insurance market. The Department of Justice sued to block the merger and the federal district court issued an order blocking the merger consistent with Jones' findings.
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Media Notes:
- The proposed merger transaction was valued at $54.2 billion when it was announced in July of last year.
- Decision Letter to Department of Justice
- American Medical Association brief citing Jones' findings
Led by Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara, the California Department of Insurance is the consumer protection agency for the nation's largest insurance marketplace and safeguards all of the state’s consumers by fairly regulating the insurance industry. Under the Commissioner’s direction, the Department uses its authority to protect Californians from insurance rates that are excessive, inadequate, or unfairly discriminatory, oversee insurer solvency to pay claims, set standards for agents and broker licensing, perform market conduct reviews of insurance companies, resolve consumer complaints, and investigate and prosecute insurance fraud. Consumers are urged to call 1-800-927-4357 with any questions or contact us at www.insurance.ca.gov via webform or online chat. Non-media inquiries should be directed to the Consumer Hotline at 800-927-4357. Teletypewriter (TTY), please dial 800-482-4833.