Anthem, seeking to buy Cigna in the face of the opposition of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division, argues that the deal would boost the health-insurance exchanges created by the Affordable Care Act.

Modern Healthcare opined: “The response signals Anthem will indeed litigate the case to the end even though many analysts and policy experts say the company is unlikely to win.”

Anthem said:
“At a time when large insurers are withdrawing from public exchanges, its acquisition of Cigna will significantly increase consumers’ access to the exchanges,”  Anthem, which has about 923,000 ACA exchange members, expects to lose about $300 million from that business this year but hasn’t said it will quit any markets.

The company asserted that the combined Anthem-Cigna company would enter nine new states with ACA marketplaces.

To read the Modern Healthcare article, please hit this link.