U.S. Sues Anthem, Aetna in Effort to Block Insurer Mergers

U.S. antitrust enforcers roundly rejected a pair of proposed deals that would consolidate the nation’s five biggest health insurers into three (United States v. Anthem Inc.complaint; United States v. Aetna Inc.complaint).

The Justice Department July 21 sued to block two separate tie-ups—Anthem Inc.’s $48 billion takeover of rival health insurer Cigna Corp. and Aetna Inc.’s $37 billion bid for Humana Inc.—saying the deals would raise health-care costs and reduce choice for consumers.

“For most Americans, health insurance is not luxury but a necessity,” Attorney General Loretta Lynch said in Washington. “Health insurance can mean the difference between life and ...