Think Tank Says Aetna–Humana Deal Would Make Seniors Pay More

The Center for American Progress (CAP), a Washington, DC-based think tank, says senior citizens will be forced to pay higher Medicare Advantage premiums if Aetna’s proposed acquisition of Humana goes through. Aetna currently holds 7% of that market and Humana 19%. While their combined share of the entire current Medicare market would still be just 8%, Anthem has also moved to buy Cigna Corp. The combined effect of such deals could cut competition and result in dramatic cost increases for Medicare Advantage members. CAP’s report maintains that “all of the available evidence suggests that the bar should be very high for approving these mergers.” It’s notable that cost efficiencies attributed to the urgent care setting could become all the more important as healthcare dollars continued to be stretched among high consumers of healthcare (eg, seniors).