Consumers Union, the public policy and advocacy arm of nonprofit Consumer Reports, offers this testimony on the proposed acquisition of Cigna Corporation (“Cigna”) by Anthem, Inc. (“Anthem”). From its founding, Consumer Reports has striven for a marketplace of safe, effective, reliable, and fairly priced products—this mission extends deeply into the health care sector. The advantages for health plans that merge are clear, but the advantage for consumers are not. Instead, we anticipate a less competitive insurance marketplace, with the potential for lower quality products at higher costs for consumers. While consumers around the nation await the outcome of the U.S. Department of Justice’s investigation of this proposed merger, Californians also rely on state regulators to take action as may be necessary to protect consumer interests in our state. We, therefore, ask you to ensure that if Anthem and Cigna merge, consumers are not harmed, and the sum of the two plans is better than what consumers get when the plans stand alone.
For the full statement, click here.