Evergreen Health’s For-Profit Bid Withers

Evergreen Health’s For-Profit Bid Withers

The Managed Care sector went two steps forward, then one step back in July. Two deals were announced in the span of two days, and as the month neared a close, another deal was terminated, leaving this year’s total at a sluggish 10 deals. Back in May 2017, we reported on Evergreen Health’s journey to become a for-profit, provider-sponsored plan in Maryland. The company was birthed as an insurance co-op under the Affordable Care Act and has struggled to survive since. In October 2016, Evergreen put itself up for sale as a result of unprofitability and growing indebtedness to the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Then, on May 2, a group of investors agreed to buy the company, which... Read More »

Managed Care Deals Dry Up

Now that the mega-mergers of 2015 have been squashed, deal activity in the Managed Care sector could use a shot in the arm. Through mid-July 2017, only 10 deals have been announced in this sector, on par with 2016’s total of 20 deals. At this rate, it’s unlikely that the sector will reach its 2015 peak of 43 deals. Although 2015 was not a record year, it was the second highest of the century, behind 2000’s total of 47 deals. The Big Four health insurers have ceded the playing field to the smaller players, and financial buyers are stepping in. In 2015, managed care companies accounted for 72% of the 43 deals announced that year and financial buyers only accounted for 5%. Molina... Read More »

Health Care Deal Volume Slows in Q2:2017, As Dollar Volume Rises

Health care merger and acquisition activity slowed in the second quarter of 2017. Compared with the first quarter of 2017, deal volume decreased 15%, to 366 transactions. Deal volume was also lower compared with the same quarter the year before, down 14%. Combined spending in the second quarter reached $95.8 billion, an increase of 62% compared with the $59.1 billion spent in the previous quarter, according to HealthCareMandA.com. Second quarter deal value was up 8% compared with the $88.7 billion spent in Q2:16. Health care services transactions accounted for 52% of the second quarter’s dollar volume, much higher than the 14% share reported in the first quarter, and the 19% share recorded... Read More »
June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

Preliminary data for the month of June shows that investors are still bullish—or at least comfortable—betting on health care. Some 123 transactions were announced last month, an 11% decrease compared with May’s 138 transactions. Year over year, however, this early data is just 5% below the 130 deals announced in June 2016. For a little perspective, April 2017’s deal volume was just 104 transactions, which made the May numbers look very strong by comparison. June’s deal volume looks reassuringly healthy, as it is close to the year-ago total, and could be adjusted upward in the future as more deals come to light. The same trends we’ve noted in previous months are still playing out, too. Deal... Read More »

MCOs Make Deals to Combat High Drug Costs

The rising cost of prescription drugs was part of many candidates’ campaign platforms in the 2016 national elections. The topic has not gone away, and is certainly a factor in the dearth of Big Pharma deals in 2017.  Through June 15, M&A in the Pharma sector is down 43%, to 44 transactions, compared with the same period in 2016, which had 77 transactions. Spending is also down in for the first six months of 2017. Through June 15, acquirers announced $19.2 billion in committed financing, down 66% from the same period in 2016, when approximately $56.5 billion was spent. There are deals being done, regarding this issue, but most are not M&A. In fact, several managed care... Read More »
June 2017 Deal Volume Shows Continued Strength

Investors Want Health Care Services with No Strings Attached

Preliminary data for the month of May shows an encouraging uptick in deal volume, with the services sectors making up 66% of the total. Some 134 transactions were announced last month, a 30% increase over April’s anemic 103 deal volume total. But monthly transaction totals in 2017 are not keeping pace with those in 2016. A year ago, 151 transactions were announced, 11% higher than in May 2017. There’s no question that the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the American Health Care Act hangs heavily on healthcare investors. The Senate Republicans have been at work behind closed doors to craft a different deal than the one sent to them by the House Republicans in mid-May. From the handful of... Read More »