A federal judge has blocked a major healthcare merger that could have affected nearly a half-million older state residents. Pennsylvania joined 7 other states, the District of Columbia and the U.S. Justice Department in a suit aimed at stopping health insurer Aetna from buying its rival, Humana. The court ruled that the deal would violate anti-trust laws.
The judge found that a potential merger was likely to substantially lessen competition in the sale of Medicare Advantage plans in more than 300 counties across the country, including 10 in Pennsylvania. Counties affected in Pa. would have been Chester, Clinton, Cumberland, Daupin, Erie, Franklin, Lebanon, Lycoming, and Perry.
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