(Bloomberg) — U.S. hospitals are stepping up their bid to stop Anthem Inc.'s takeover of rival health insurer Cigna Corp., saying the deal will increase the dominance of Blue Cross Blue Shield plans and potentially raise premiums for consumers.

The enhanced bargaining power of the Blue Cross plans will undermine competition and should compel the Justice Department to stop the deal, the American Hospital Association wrote in a letter to the department's antitrust chief Bill Baer.

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