“The Justice Department has told Anthem Inc. that the health insurer’s planned takeover of Cigna Corp. threatens competition and probably can’t be fixed by selling parts of their businesses.”
“The Justice Department has indicated that it’s open to hearing about proposals from the company to resolve the problems. However, there is the likelihood that the U.S. will sue to block it. The government is on track to make a decision on the combination by around mid-July, according to another person familiar with the matter.
In a written statement this week, Anthem said: ‘Anthem and Cigna continue to be in ongoing dialogue with the Department of Justice and state regulators regarding the compelling combination of our two companies to increase consumer access to high-quality, affordable health care.’ One of the justice department’s key concerns with the Anthem-Cigna deal is that it would reduce options for large employers.” Source: Benefitspro
