www.CHESTERCMS.org Put the Brakes on the CVS and Aetna Merger to Sustain Competition and Choice BY DRS KEN FISHER AND MARION MASS O ne person stands between the American public and further increases in healthcare costs and further decline of care: U.S. District Judge Richard Leon. He is single-handedly questioning the government-approved $70 billion merger between CVS and the health insurer Aetna over public interest concerns. A court hearing is scheduled for today, where Judge Leon may demand the companies halt integration while he reviews the antitrust issues. CVS and Aetna have argued that the vertical integration of their businesses would lead to better and more efficient care for consumers. While Americans have radically different views on how to bring down skyrocketing health-care costs, there seems to be a bipartisan consensus that increased consolidation among remaining health care behemoths is not the answer. Both the Trump administration's Health and Human Services and the left-leaning Center for American Progress have recently issued reports making the case for choice and competition rather than consolidation in the health care space. For good reason. Oligopolies reduce competition and raise prices. Studies have found that vertical integration is associated with higher prices. In California, for instance, hospital-owned physician practices have higher per-patient spending than physician-owned ones. 12 CHESTER COUNT Y Medicine | WINTER 2019http://www.chestercms.org