The American College of Physicians (ACP) today praised this morning's decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia upholding a lower court ruling halting the proposed $54 billion insurance merger between Anthem and Cigna. The ruling over the potential impact on competition and insurance prices is a big "win" for patients and the physicians who care for them.
As a primary care internist, I am relieved that the proposed merger will be blocked. This merger would have resulted in higher prices and less competition, and ultimately resulted in a strain on patients, both in their choice of insurance provider and in the cost that would be passed on to them.
In a January 23 ruling, a federal judge blocked a similar proposed merger between health insurers Aetna and Humana.
ACP has stated its strong opposition to the proposed merger in a letter and subsequent conversations with Department of Justice (DOJ) officials, and in a position statement in 2015.
Other health care organizations have joined ACP in praising today's ruling as a win for consumers and patients.
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The American College of Physicians is the largest medical specialty organization in the United States with members in more than 145 countries worldwide. ACP membership includes 148,000 internal medicine physicians (internists), related subspecialists, and medical students. Internal medicine physicians are specialists who apply scientific knowledge and clinical expertise to the diagnosis, treatment, and compassionate care of adults across the spectrum from health to complex illness.