CVS Health Is in Talks to Buy Aetna

wsj.com

4 pointspraneshp4 comments

So maybe this is naive, but CVS has a walk in clinic in nearly every city, and is seemingly socially conscious enough to better the health of its patrons (see getting rid of cigarettes). Would they be able to do something with an insurance company and network of clinics that would be beneficial for consumers?

It does seem like they could capture the profit (and split it with consumers in the form of lower rates in a bid to get market share?) of simple dr/urgent care visits. Have a cold? Visit a CVS walk in clinic, get tested for flu/strep, and pick up any prescriptions all in the same visit.

CVS was already partnered with Aetna on some of this.

My company is self-insured but uses Aetna as the management company. I have a CVS discount card that gives me something like 20-30% off on generic/OTC drugs and CVS-branded health items from the store.

With Amazon entering the prescription drugs space, they were wise to do something crazy

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