What The CVS-Aetna Merger Means For You … And Other Insights On The $69B Deal
Media outlets take a look at how the potentially groundbreaking merger will impact consumers, shake up the health care landscape and more.
The New York Times:
How Will Consumers Fare If CVS And Aetna Merge?
When CVS Health and Aetna announced their merger on Sunday, their executives painted an image of a dawning health care utopia. The new company, combining one of the country’s biggest pharmacies with one of its largest health insurers, will create a world where patients will get the “human touch,” they said. Fewer people will fall through the cracks, they promised, and getting high-quality, low-cost medical care will be as close as your corner drugstore. (Abelson and Thomas, 12/4)
The Wall Street Journal:
The CVS-Aetna Gamble: A Health-Care Giant Not Built Around Doctors
CVS Health Corp. and Aetna Inc. are attempting to create something with little precedent: an integrated health-care enterprise that isn’t built around doctors. The combination of the two companies, in a deal valued at $69 billion and announced Sunday, is supposed to bring together Aetna’s patient data and CVS’s sprawling network of nearly 10,000 brick-and-mortar sites to squeeze out costs while improving care and convenience. (Wilde Mathews and Terlep, 12/4)
Los Angeles Times:
CVS And Aetna Say Their Huge Merger Will Be Great For Consumers. Here's Why You Should Be Skeptical
The CEOs of drug retailer CVS and health insurer Aetna were marvelously in sync Sunday when they jointly announced their companies’ $69-billion merger deal. The deal will “dramatically further empower consumers,” Aetna’s Mark Bertolini said. It will “create a platform that is easier to use and less expensive for consumers,” according to Larry J. Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health. They repeated these mantras to the press in a series of joint interviews. (Michael Hiltzik, 12/4)
Los Angeles Times:
CVS And Aetna Stocks Slide On News Of Merger Deal
CVS Health Corp. shares dropped Monday as investors expressed uncertainty about the pharmacy giant’s $69-billion deal to acquire health insurer Aetna Inc. CVS stock was down 4.9% at $71.45 around 9:45 a.m. PST. Meanwhile, shares of Aetna were down 0.5% at $180.40 after an early-morning jump. (Masunaga, 12/4)
Bloomberg:
CVS-Aetna Deal Could Start A Health Takeover Run
CVS Health Corp.’s deal to buy insurer Aetna Inc. for about $67.5 billion could be just the start of a new wave of health-care takeovers. The merger announced Sunday will leave one less independent player in the complex web of insurers, retailers and other middlemen that sit between patients and their care -- and who are under pressure to reduce costs. (Langreth, 12/4)
NPR:
With Aetna Deal, CVS Looks To Turn Stores Into Health Care Hubs
CVS Health is looking to create a national network of community medical clinics that will serve as "America's front door to quality health care." That's the goal, according to a statement by CEO Larry Merlo on his company's deal for Aetna. It's an ambitious one for CVS, a company better known as a quick stop for Tylenol and a Coke. (Kodjak, 12/4)