Doctors Urge Florida to Reverse Course and Squelch Aetna–Humana Merger

Florida’s insurance regulators have already given their blessing, but three physician groups are asking the state’s attorney general to put the kibosh on the proposed merger between Aetna Inc. and Humana, Inc. The American Medical Association, Florida Medical Association, and Florida Osteopathic Medical Association all say the merger would reduce competition to such an extent that healthcare access, quality, and affordability would suffer across the state. The Florida Office of Insurance Regulation approved the deal after a survey indicated there was no “strong evidence of an overall significant reduction in the competitive landscape of the private Florida health insurance markets resulting from this proposed merger,” on the condition that Aetna expand operations in underserved counties. Still, AMA President-elect Andrew W. Gurman, MD, maintains that “competition, not consolidation, is the right prescription for Florida’s health insurance markets.”