The executive suite and boardroom of today’s Anthem do not have the deep Hoosier roots that were present in Frick’s day. But we hope they respect that legacy and are equally reticent to bargain away a headquarters.
With Aetna Inc. and Humana Inc. agreeing to a $37 billion merger, pressure is mounting on the other major health insurers, including Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc., to make their own deals.
Anthem Inc.’s proposed $47 billion buyout of Cigna Corp. is the latest example of corporate deals that get hung up over executive egos and turf battles. For example, Anthem CEO Joe Swedish wants to lead the merged firm, to the chagrin of Cigna’s CEO.
The takeover game is rampant among U.S. health insurers and stock investors are filling the stands.
A victory by Anthem Inc. in its bid to buy Cigna Corp. could create regulatory hurdles for other insurers exploring deals as antitrust officials seek to hold the line on rising health care costs.
Cigna Corp. and Anthem Inc. are poised to do the biggest deal that the health insurance industry has ever seen—if their CEOs can get along.
Cigna said Anthem’s a risky bet due to fallout from its massive data breach, lawsuits that accuse it of conspiring to inflate prices, and lack of a growth strategy. But Wall Street thinks this deal is going to happen, unless Cigna can find another buyer.
Indianapolis-based Anthem Inc. said Monday that the merged companies would cover more than 53 million people combined, a total that easily surpasses that of current market leader, UnitedHealth Group Inc.
Driving the consolidation is the 2010 health law that put tougher rules on the industry, demanding more covered services, better care and a ceiling on profits.
Anthem on Saturday offered to buy the smaller health insurer, which responded Sunday with a litany of concerns and criticisms.
The biggest U.S. providers—UnitedHealth Group Inc., Anthem Inc., Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp. and Humana Inc.—are all looking at possible combinations. Indianapolis-based Anthem is considering a takeover of Cigna or Humana, a person familiar with the matter said.
Already considered one of the largest thefts of U.S. government personnel data in history, investigators now estimate that it may include data on as many as 14 million people, including every federal employee.
Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield has added St. Vincent Health to the “narrow network” of health care providers it uses for Obamacare plans.
While health insurers in states around the country have proposed large rate increases for the health plans they sell on the Obamacare exchanges, insurers in Indiana are asking for modest increases or even decreases. The bad news is that it appears the rest of the country is just catching up with Indiana’s already-high prices.
The Indianapolis-based health insurer announced Tuesday that it will pay upfront the $2,500 annual cost of a business or health care degree from College for America, which provides online programs for adults.
Anthem exceeded Wall Street’s profit expectations by 47 cents per share and raised its full-year profit forecast by 20 cents per share.
After an Elkhart couple with an autistic son sued insurer Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield this month, autism families around the state started a campaign to get Anthem to change its policy for covering therapy for school-age children.
Representatives from Indianapolis-base health insurer Anthem Inc. have canceled plans to speak publicly this week at Ball State University, where some employees have had their identities stolen.
The Indianapolis-based health insurer raised pay for its executives, including CEO Joe Swedish, at a much slower pace than the 38-percent return it generated for shareholders last year.
President Barack Obama is enlisting private companies into his drive to change the way the U.S. pays its medical bills, including insurers Anthem Inc. and Cigna Inc. and casino chain Caesars Entertainment Corp.
