AMA applauds California for preserving health insurance competition

"The American Medical Association strongly agrees with the assessment of California Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones that bigger is not better when it comes to the proposed merger of two corporate giants in the health insurance industry. We applaud the Commissioner's decision to join the AMA and a growing list of others who have strongly urged the U.S. Department of Justice to block the proposed Anthem-Cigna merger.

"The AMA commends the Commissioner for acknowledging the evidence physicians and others presented demonstrating that the Anthem-Cigna merger would likely enhance market power or raise significant competitive concerns in most of California metropolitan areas. Last March, the AMA testified before the Commissioner and warned that the takeover of Cigna by rival Anthem is an attempt to secure anticompetitive market power with long-term consequences for California's health care delivery system that would threaten health care access, quality and affordability.