Medical Insurance and Billing Unit 3 Add Quesiotn

The state I chose is Washington. The issue that I found that relates to health insurance is insurer mergers. A lot of health insurers across Washington are either considering merging or merging. This includes organizations doing business in Washington State. The three mergers that are currently underway in the state are Aetna Group with the Humana Group, Cantene Group with the Health Net Group and Anthem Group with the CIGNA Group. The Federal Trade Commission reviews the proposed consolidations for the anti-trust issues. Federal Trade Commission has thirty days of determining if a divestment is important to protect competitive markets. However, some Federal Trade Commission reviews might be extended beyond thirty days if there is additional information requested. That is how the health insurance mergers are reviewed. The Insurance Commissioner’s office also reviews the proposed consolidations to determine whether any divestments are required to protect the State’s insurance market. The office considers how that consolidation can affect the ability of the insurer to do business in the state, the companies’ financial solvency, and whether or not the consolidation is n the consumers’ best interests. The Insurance commissioner’s office review is completed within ninety days. The Insurance Commissioner’s office could likewise ask the State’s attorney general’s office to have a look at the proposal to see whether they believe the consolidation would harm consumers or reduce competition.

Reference:

www.naic.org

Refer to below paragraph, what pros and cons do you see from insurance mergers?