At a hearing held the afternoon of Sept. 29 by the House Judiciary Committee, AMA president-elect Andrew W. Gurman, MD, warned congressional leaders about the impact of proposed mega-mergers involving Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana on an already heavily consolidate commercial health insurance market.

"We are at a critical decision point on health insurance mergers, because once consummated, there is simply no going back,” said Dr. Gurman. “Post-merger remedies are likely to be both ineffective and highly disruptive.  You can’t unscramble an egg.  Thus, we believe that the time for heightened scrutiny and careful consideration is now, before proposed mergers take effect and patients are irreparably harmed. The solution lies in more, not less, competition."

According to AMA analyses announced earlier this month, the combined impact of proposed mergers would exceed federal antitrust guidelines designed to preserve competition in as many as 97 metropolitan areas within 17 states.

For additional information, Gurman's written statement to the House Judiciary Committee is available here.