Dive Brief:
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Anthem CEO Joseph Swedish says the insurer has not made any divestiture proposal to the Department of Justice (DOJ), which is reviewing its proposed purchase of Cigna.
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The company is not expecting divestitures as part of the process, Swedish told Policy and Regulatory Report (PaRR) in an interview.
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The matter is “a decision that the DOJ has to come to decide,” Swedish said. “We’ll certainly be in dialogue with the DOJ as we get to the end of the analysis.”
Dive Insight:
Swedish and Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini, who is seeking a separate mega-merger with Humana, expressed optimism to PaRR after providing testimony last week at a U.S. Senate antitrust subcommittee hearing. Both deals are under evauation to determine whether they violate antitrust laws, and both have been publicly opposed by medical groups including the American Hospital Association (AHA).
As part of the proceedings, Richard Pollack, president and CEO of the AHA, questioned whether an acquirer would be available if any divestitures are required.
While Swedish says Anthem doesn't expect divestitures, the company has said in a statement there are “numerous entities that are in the business of providing health insurance that would likely be interested in purchasing assets that may be divested as a result of either transaction.”
