by Stephanie Kovalick, Chief Strategy Officer, Sage Growth Partners
The full article is published in Managed Healthcare Executive.
It’s a deal that could reshape the healthcare industry as we know it: the combination of one of the country’s largest insurers and one of the country’s largest pharmacy chains.
CVS and Aetna formally announced the completion of their $70 billion merger November 28, but rumors surrounding the deal—and predictions regarding how it could impact healthcare—have been circulating since late 2017.
Here’s what I think:
1. The merger could turn primary-care medicine as we know it on its head
My imagination is certainly running wild with the possibilities. Imagine MinuteClinic as the new primary-care option for patients insured through Aetna; more walk-in options for urgent and non-urgent events as Aetna’s influence over CVS Health’s offerings grows; and Target (whose clinics were acquired by CVS Health back in 2015) offering more healthcare-related services to shoppers, such as radiology units at the back of its stores. Why not take care of that MRI your doctor ordered while doing your grocery shopping?