Statement Attributed to:
Barbara L. McAneny, M.D.
President, American Medical Association
“The American Medical Association commends California Department of Insurance Commissioner Dave Jones for taking a strong stand against the proposed merger between CVS Health Corporation and Aetna. We urge other state regulators to review the evidence and take similar action.
"The AMA agrees with Commissioner Jones that allowing this anticompetitive merger to proceed likely would harm consumers. If left unblocked, there is every indication that the merger would raise prices, reduce choice and stifle innovation in five poorly performing markets: Medicare Part D stand-alone prescription drug plan, pharmacy benefit management services, health insurance, retail pharmacy, and specialty pharmacy.
“Commissioner Jones extensively cited evidence presented by the AMA and prominent experts in antitrust law, economics and health policy demonstrating that there are no potential benefits of sufficient magnitude and certainty that would outweigh the anticompetitive effects of the proposed merger.”
Media Contact:
About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
