Amid Rising Opposition, Elevance Pauses Deal to Buy Louisiana Blues

September 29

Elevance Health, Inc.’s planned acquisition of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) has been put on hold as political opposition to the deal intensifies. The deal, which was announced in January, was already troubled due to investigations by state regulators and a bipartisan uproar from state elected officials. One managed care insider says macroeconomic conditions likely have redoubled considerable opposition to the deal from providers and other stakeholders.

The New Orleans Times-Picayune reported that BCBSLA leaders met with Republican Attorney General Jeff Landry, a frontrunner in the ongoing gubernatorial race in Louisiana, on Sept. 18. The attorney general hopes that the deal will be delayed until the new governor and insurance commissioner take office, according to the newspaper. (Jim Donelon, the incumbent Republican commissioner, plans to retire.)

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Health Plan Weekly

Peter Johnson

Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.