Trending News Today: Concerns Grow Regarding Anthem and Cigna Merger

A recent study finds that people from Texas and Florida have an increased number of complaints about healthcare costs and the quality of care they receive, according to Kaiser Health News. Texas and Florida are the 2 largest states that have not expanded Medicaid, however, the survey indicates that two-thirds of people are in favor of expansion. Approximately 65% of Texans said they are paying more out-of-pocket for healthcare and had to cut down in other areas of spending to accommodate this increase.

Concerns about the Anthem and Cigna mergers have arisen due to reports of quarrels between the management of the 2 companies. Even the companies’ respective shares have decreased in value since the merger was announced in July, according to NBC News. An analyst predicts that the merger has a 50% chance of going through and has predicted a larger decrease in their stock value.

Researchers from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tennessee are currently working on an antibiotic that targets and kills harmful bacteria without killing all bacteria. Since current antibiotics cannot tell the difference between good and bad bacteria, the medication will kill all bacteria, making people more vulnerable to other infections, NPR reported. The researchers are testing Debio 1452 that targets staph bacteria.