The late decision could complicate the potential acquisition. Here’s what you need to know.
1. Ms. Jackson believes to make a decision in the case by the end of January 2017.
2. The merger between Anthem and Cigna has an expiration date of April 30, 2017. In order to proceed with the merger, a federal judge would need to approve any such action before the end of the year.
3. End of year 2016 is important because the merger would have to move through state regulatory boards. If the deal is approved on a federal level after the new year, the boards would not have ample time to meet the deadline.
4. Ms. Jackson said the timeline Anthem is pursuing was “impossible to work with.” Ms. Jackson stated several times throughout the hearing that “she didn’t understand why the federal government needed to bend over backwards” to comply with what she saw as an “arbitrary deadline.” She called the deadline a “bizarre situation” before saying the merger “may not be desired,” according to an article in WBAA.
http://wbaa.org/post/november-date-set-anthem-cigna-trial-mergers-future-uncertain
5. Cigna has not expressed an interest in extending the merger agreement past the deadline. The WBAA article states, that Cigna would receive $1.8 billion if the merger does not go through.
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