Regulatory Reform Subcommittee to Hold Second Hearing on the State of Competition in the Health Care Marketplace

Press Release

On Tuesday, September 29, 2015, at 2:00 p.m., the Subcommittee on Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law will hold its second hearing on the state of competition in the health care marketplace entitled, "Healthy Competition? An Examination of the Proposed Health Insurance Mergers and the Consequent Impact on Competition." The hearing will examine consolidation in the health insurance industry, including the proposed mergers between the health insurance companies Aetna and Humana, and, if finalized, Anthem and Cigna.

The first hearing in the series of Committee hearings on competition in the health care marketplace focused on how the Affordable Care Act may have played a role in the consolidation of the health care industry and the related impact on accessibility and affordability of health care for the American consumer.

The witnesses for Tuesday's hearing will be:

Mr. Mark T. Bertolini, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Aetna;
Mr. Joseph R. Swedish, President and Chief Executive Officer, Anthem;
Mr. Tom Nickels, Executive Vice President, American Hospital Association;
Mr. Andrew W. Gurman, M.D., President-Elect, American Medical Association;
Ms. Jaime S. King, Professor of Law, University of California, Hastings College of Law;
Mr. Edmund F. Haislmaier, Senior Research Fellow of Health Policy Studies, The Heritage Foundation.

House Judiciary Committee Chairman Bob Goodlatte (R-Va.) and Regulatory Reform, Commercial and Antitrust Law Subcommittee Chairman Tom Marino (R-Pa.) released the following statement prior to the hearing:

"We are pleased to continue examining the important issues surrounding the significant changes in the American health care industry following the enactment of Obamacare. The health care industry is vitally important to this country due to its impact on nearly every American and its considerable influence on the national economy.

"The proposed mergers between Aetna and Humana, and Anthem and Cigna will directly affect over 85 million Americans. Tuesday's hearing will provide a public forum where Committee Members can hear directly from the companies, industry stakeholders and experts on the potential impact of the mergers and whether any issues deserve further scrutiny. We look forward to holding a balanced hearing on the proposed transactions and their impact on competition within the health insurance marketplace."

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