Aetna and Humana Merger Blocked by Federal Judge
Jan 24, 2017
On Monday, January 23, 2017, it was announced that federal judge, John D. Bates, blocked a proposed merger between Aetna and Humana. The decision brings an end to the lawsuit filed by the Obama administration in July 2016 to halt the merger. In his statement regarding the ruling, Bates noted that, if it had moved forward, the merger would “substantially lessen competition in markets for individual Medicare Advantage plans and health insurance sold on the public exchanges.” A similar case, regarding the proposed merger of insurers Cigna and Anthem, is still pending decision.