Posted by Michael Wonder on 04 Dec 2017
CVS Health to acquire Aetna for $69 billion in year's largest acquisition
4 December 2017 - U.S. drugstore chain operator CVS Health said on Sunday it had agreed to acquire U.S. health insurer Aetna for $69 billion, seeking to tackle soaring health care spending through lower-cost medical services in pharmacies.
This year’s largest corporate acquisition will combine one of the nation’s largest pharmacy benefits managers and pharmacy operators with one of its oldest health insurers, whose national business ranges from employer healthcare to government plans.
The deal comes after Aetna’s $37 billion plan to acquire smaller U.S. health insurance peer Humana was blocked in January by a U.S. federal judge over antitrust concerns. A proposed combination of peers Anthem and Cigna was also shot down.
