Health News
Health insurer Aetna "is said to be closing in on a deal to buy" Louisville-based Humana Inc., Julie Hyman reports for Bloomberg News, "and a deal could come "as soon as this weekend."
Humana is also expecting an offer from Cigna Inc., but Humana's board of directors "prefers the Aetna offer," Hyman reports, citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations. The deal has been discussed for weeks, but Aetna didn't make a formal proposal until this week.
The last major obstacle to a deal may have been the Supreme Court's ruling today that people in all states are entitled to tax subsidies for health insurance under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Hyman suggests, noting higher stock prices for health-insurance companies.
"Shares of Humana rallied more than 8 percent after trading was briefly halted for volatility," Reem Nasr of CNBC reports.
Humana is an attractive buy because "a great deal of its business ? 73 percent of its premiums revenue ? comes from contracts with the federal government," David Mann reports for Louisville Business First. "That means Humana is flush with Medicare business, which is a fast-growing category in the industry as many baby boomers are reaching the eligibility age. Its competitors, including Aetna, don't have nearly as much of this business."
"Consolidation among the country's top insurers follows a massive consolidation among providers in pharmacy, hospital and patient care, which has increased the leverage against insurers like Humana and Aetna," Grace Schneider reports for The Courier-Journal.
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Health News
Aetna is close to a deal to buy Humana, Bloomberg reports
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| Getty Images, via CNBC |
Humana is also expecting an offer from Cigna Inc., but Humana's board of directors "prefers the Aetna offer," Hyman reports, citing unnamed people familiar with the negotiations. The deal has been discussed for weeks, but Aetna didn't make a formal proposal until this week.
"Shares of Humana rallied more than 8 percent after trading was briefly halted for volatility," Reem Nasr of CNBC reports.
Humana is an attractive buy because "a great deal of its business ? 73 percent of its premiums revenue ? comes from contracts with the federal government," David Mann reports for Louisville Business First. "That means Humana is flush with Medicare business, which is a fast-growing category in the industry as many baby boomers are reaching the eligibility age. Its competitors, including Aetna, don't have nearly as much of this business."
"Consolidation among the country's top insurers follows a massive consolidation among providers in pharmacy, hospital and patient care, which has increased the leverage against insurers like Humana and Aetna," Grace Schneider reports for The Courier-Journal.
- Politicians, Economists And Journalists Debate The Reasons For, And The Impact Of, Proposed Sale Of Humana To Aetna
By Al Cross Kentucky Health News The purchase of Louisville-based Humana Inc. by fellow health-insurance giant Aetna Inc. for $37 billion still needs approval from federal anti-trust officials, partly because of the possibility that the merger will reduce...
- At Least One Insurance Company Will Let Kentuckians Keep Their Health Insurance Plan For Another Year If They Like It
By Molly Burchett Kentucky Health News At least one insurance company, Humana, will be allowing Kentuckians to keep their insurance coverage for another year if they like it, even if the policies aren't compliant with the Patient Protection and Affordable...
- Aetna Buying Coventry, Which Manages Some Medicaid Care
Aetna will buy Coventry Health Care for about $5.6 billion as the third-largest health insurance company poises itself for more Medicare and Medicaid patients under the federal health-care reform law. Coventry Cares is one of four managed care organizations...
- Humana Reinvents Itself Again, To Adapt To U.s. Health-care Reform
Humana, Kentucky's largest corporation, says it is reinventing itself in the wake of the federal health reform law, focusing on becoming a "well-being" company rather than just a provider of health insurance. Of the notable changes, the Louisville-based...
- Insurance Claims - Sounds Too Good To Be True?
As we await the Supreme Court decision regarding the Affordable Care Act, which has already benefited hundreds of thousands of Illinoisans, we should not get too carried away by the health insurance giants UnitedHealth Group, Aetna and Humana announcement...