Aetna Inc. is preparing to meet with top U.S. Justice Department officials on Friday as it seeks to win antitrust approval for its $37 billion takeover of rival Humana Inc., people familiar with the matter said.
The meeting falls two weeks after a similar Justice Department session with Anthem Inc. and Cigna Corp., which are pursuing their own $48 billion merger. While department officials are concerned that the Anthem-Cigna tie-up may stifle competition, Aetna is arguing that its deal is different: It maintains that its overlap with Humana is small and any loss of competition is easily fixable, according to a person familiar with the insurer’s thinking who, like the others, asked not to be identified discussing a private matter.
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