Trump Tells Health Insurers to Expect `Something Special’

President Donald Trump told major U.S. health insurers at a White House meeting Monday to expect “something special” to replace Obamacare, as the administration gets more involved in Republican efforts to repeal the health-care law. “We’re going to be talking about it tomorrow night during the speech,” Trump said, referring to his address to a joint session of Congress scheduled for Tuesday.

Federal Judge Blocks Anthem’s Planned Acquisition of Cigna

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked health insurer Anthem Inc. from acquiring rival Cigna Corp., the second court ruling in recent weeks to deal a decisive rebuke to efforts to reshape the industry through megamergers. The decision, by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, said the proposed $48 billion deal violated federal antitrust law because it would create an unacceptable reduction in the number of companies that can serve large national employers that insure their workers.

Anthem CEO says weighing 2018 participation in Obamacare plans

Anthem Inc. Chief Executive Officer Joseph Swedish on Wednesday laid out a list of short-term changes designed to stabilize the market as the new Republican administration and Congress seek to change Obamacare. Swedish said the changes, including tighter enrollment rules on the exchanges, are needed as the company determines to what extent it will participate in the exchanges in 2018.

Anthem-Cigna Deal Cast by U.S. as Risk to Patients, Providers

Anthem Inc. and the U.S. Justice Department extended their clash over whether the insurer’s planned takeover of rival Cigna Corp. will raise costs, as government witnesses testified Friday that the deal will harm health-care providers and patients. Frank Gorse, a vice president at Patient First, which operates urgent-care centers in the Mid-Atlantic region, said he’s concerned the merger will squeeze providers due to Anthem’s lower payouts, harming patient services.