Factbox-Consolidation in US health insurance industry By Reuters

© Reuters. FILE PHOTO: Signage for Humana Inc. is pictured at a well being facility in Queens, New York Metropolis, U.S., November 30, 2021. REUTERS/Andrew Kelly/File Photograph

By Deena Beasley

(Reuters) – Well being insurer Cigna (NYSE:) is in merger talks with Humana (NYSE:), a supply accustomed to the matter mentioned on Wednesday, doubtlessly marking the most recent in a protracted string of offers aimed toward consolidation of the business.

The U.S. Division of Justice, citing the prospect of upper costs, in 2016 efficiently sued to cease two proposed mega mergers: Anthem’s – now Elevance Well being – deliberate $54 billion buy of Cigna and Aetna’s proposed $34 billion acquisition of Humana.

The businesses mentioned these proposed offers had been triggered by the Reasonably priced Care Act, which was absolutely carried out in 2014. Here’s what has occurred in offers involving well being insurers for the reason that legislation went into impact:

2015: UnitedHealth (NYSE:) acquired pharmacy profit supervisor Catamaran for $12.8 billion, merging it into its present OptumRx drug profit unit.

2015: Pharmacy chain CVS Well being (NYSE:) acquired Omnicare, a supplier of pharmacy providers to long-term care services for greater than $12 billion.

2015: CVS Well being acquired Goal’s 1,600-plus pharmacies and retail medical clinics inside Goal shops for practically $2 billion.

2017: CVS Well being introduced plans to accumulate well being insurer Aetna for $69 billion within the largest-ever healthcare merger.

The businesses mentioned they’d save administrative and affected person care prices, partially by steering Aetna prospects to walk-in clinics in CVS shops for inexpensive medical providers.

October 2017: Anthem introduced that it will not renew its pharmacy profit administration relationship with Specific Scripts and subsequently entered into a brand new contract with CVS Well being.

March 2018: Well being insurer Cigna introduced plans to accumulate Specific Scripts for $52 billion.

November 2018: CVS Well being completes its $69 billion acquisition of Aetna.

June 2019: UnitedHealth acquires the first and pressing care providers of DaVita (NYSE:) for $4.3 billion.

March 2022: UnitedHealth introduced it will purchase LHC Group (NASDAQ:) for $5.4 billion. The deal closed in February 2023.

September 2022: CVS Well being introduced that it reached an settlement to purchase at-home well being firm Signify Well being for roughly $8 billion. The deal closed in March 2023.

February 2023: CVS Well being entered right into a definitive settlement to accumulate major care heart operator Oak Avenue Well being for round $10 billion. The deal closed in Could 2023.