CVS, the pharmacy chain, closed a deal to purchase Aetna for a reported $69 billion.
The Wall Street Journal on Sunday described the acquisition of Aetna, one of the biggest health insurance companies in the U.S., “a landmark deal that would change the U.S. health-care landscape by bringing a large insurer and a big provider of pharmacy services under one roof.”
Earlier this year, Aetna made news when it announced it was eliminating many of the insurance plans it sold through the healthcare exchanges set up under Obamacare.
A purchase by CVS Health would allow Aetna to have its own pharmacy benefits manager, as one of its competitors, UnitedHealthcare, already does.
Another large merger valued at $37 billion for Aetna, with fellow insurance provider Humana, was blocked by a federal judge who cited antitrust issues.
