There is a significant absence of health insurer competition in 83 percent of metropolitan markets, according to a study from the American Medical Association.
The AMA's findings, which looked at health insurance concentration measures for 368 metropolitan markets and 48 states, showed that those markets were rated as "highly concentrated" based on the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued last year by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission.
Other findings from AMA's study include the following:
• At least one health insurer had a commercial market share of 50 percent or more in roughly half of metropolitan markets.
• The two largest health insurers in 24 of the 48 states studied had a combined commercial market share of 70 percent or more.
• The 10 states with the least competitive commercial health insurance markets are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Michigan, Hawaii, District of Columbia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Indiana and Maine.
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The AMA's findings, which looked at health insurance concentration measures for 368 metropolitan markets and 48 states, showed that those markets were rated as "highly concentrated" based on the Horizontal Merger Guidelines issued last year by the U.S. Department of Justice and Federal Trade Commission.
Other findings from AMA's study include the following:
• At least one health insurer had a commercial market share of 50 percent or more in roughly half of metropolitan markets.
• The two largest health insurers in 24 of the 48 states studied had a combined commercial market share of 70 percent or more.
• The 10 states with the least competitive commercial health insurance markets are Alabama, Alaska, Delaware, Michigan, Hawaii, District of Columbia, Nebraska, North Carolina, Indiana and Maine.
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