The U.S. Department of Justice has asked Hartford, Conn.-based Aetna for more information on its pending $37 billion acquisition of Louisville, Ky.-based health insurer Humana, according to a Reuters report.
The so-called "second request" by the DOJ will delay the expiration of the waiting period under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act.
Under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act, parties to certain proposed acquisitions are required to report the transaction to the Federal Trade Commission and the Antitrust Division of the DOJ. Once the transaction is reported, the parties then must observe a statutory waiting period before completing the deal. The waiting period gives the agencies time to do a preliminary antitrust review of the proposed transaction. The FTC and the DOJ then have the opportunity to challenge transactions that raise antitrust concerns.
In a Sept. 18 regulatory filing, Aetna said it continues to expect its acquisition of Humana to be completed in the second half of 2016, according to the report.
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