Statement attributable to:
Patrice A. Harris, M.D., M.A.,
President, American Medical Association
“The evidence presented by the American Medical Association (AMA) to U.S. District Judge Richard Leon indicates that the merger of CVS Health and Aetna, and the proposed divestiture of Aetna’s prescription drug plan (PDP) business to WellCare, will harm competition and raise premiums in the PDP market.
“Before the merger, Aetna and CVS competed head-to-head on price, quality, and coverage to win PDP customers from each other. There are no merger-specific efficiencies in the PDP market that would justify the harmful anticompetitive effects of a merger that would eliminate this rivalry.
“AMA evidence also indicates that the divestiture of Aetna’s PDP business will not restore competition to premerger levels in several regions. In addition, the weight of economic analyses predicts that this merger is likely to raise premiums for a vulnerable population served by the PDP market. Thus, the merger and divestiture are not in the public interest, and the court should refuse to approve the antitrust settlement proposed by the Department of Justice.”
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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.
