Amid continuing questions surrounding its acquisition of Cigna, Anthem insists its completion of the deal is its No. 1 concern, according to the Hartford Courant.
Most recently, a coalition of Democratic Connecticut senators wrote a letter to the Department of Justice, asking it to block the merger. Among the group was Sen. Richard Blumenthal, who claimed that after meeting with Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini and Cigna CEO David Cordani, he's not convinced the mergers are necessary.
"I think it's fair to say, without telling you [exactly] what they said, none of the chief executives who met with me said, in effect, 'We need this merger in a struggle to stay alive,'" Sen. Blumenthal said, according to the report.
Calling the merger "the highest priority," Anthem is still holding on to hope that the deal will go through.
"Anthem and Cigna are not in discussions regarding a termination of the merger agreement or the payment of a break-up fee," said Anthem spokeswoman Jill Belcher. "Anthem continues to be in ongoing dialogue with the Department of Justice and state regulators regarding the compelling combination of our two companies to increase consumer access to high-quality, affordable healthcare."