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Potential upheaval of the insurance industry remains on trial as two major merger cases that could help define national insurance markets are progressing in the same Washington, D.C., building. Anthem is facing an uphill battle in its attempts to convince a U.S. district judge that its $54.2 billion proposal to take over Cigna meets legal scrutiny, analysts said. The government wrapped up its arguments this week in a separate challenge to the $37 billion merger bid between Aetna and Humana. If the insurers are successful in their arguments, the “big five” insurers would be down to three companies. Attorney General Loretta Lynch has said this would “fundamentally reshape the health insurance industry” and kill competition in key markets. (Muchmore, 12/14)

Two Molina Healthcare executives on Thursday stressed the company is ready to receive a huge chunk of private Medicare business that Aetna and Humana are selling off to win approval for their merger. CEO Mario Molina, during an antitrust hearing on the merger, said the $117 million deal to acquire nearly 300,000 Medicare Advantage customers from Aetna and Humana will jump-start his company’s expansion into the private Medicare market across 21 states. (Cancryn, 12/15)

One of the nation’s largest hospital operators is retreating from an ambitious plan to run its own insurance company, underscoring the risks faced by health-care providers seeking to compete with health insurers. Catholic Health Initiatives, which has 103 hospitals in 18 states, made an aggressive push into insurance markets roughly three years ago. (Evans, 12/15)

As the new administration and Congress look to improve our health care system, they must ensure addressing health insurance barriers many Americans face in accessing prescribed treatment remains a top priority. Federal and state policymakers now have an opportunity to improve care if they listen to the patient voice. A new poll, conducted by the Alliance for the Adoptions of Innovation in Medicine (Aimed Alliance) in conjunction with David Binder Research, shows that many Americans hold their health insurers to high standards and expect to receive quality care—conveying a disconnect between expectations and reality. (Worthy, 12/15)