Judge Blocks Anthem-Cigna Merger

American Medical Association President, Andrew W. Gurman, MD, issued a statement on Wednesday after a U.S. Federal judge blocked the purchase of Cigna by rival insurer Anthem. Dr. Gurman said, “In a David vs. Goliath battle between consumers and mega insurers, a federal judge today ruled that Anthem’s proposed acquisition of Cigna poses a clear and present threat to the quality, accessibility and affordability of health care in the United States. The AMA applauds the fact-based ruling by Judge Amy Berman Jackson, which stopped in its tracks the creation of an immense corporate entity that would have been too big to regulate with virtually unlimited power over the health care of millions of consumers.” Full statement.