Stat of the Week: CVS’s 10.9x EBITDA

Stat of the Week: CVS’s 10.9x EBITDA

by | Oct 27, 2017 6:50 pm | Managed Care | 0 comments

If you can’t beat ’em, buy ’em. Or be bought. That’s the path Aetna (NYSE: AET) is taking, perhaps, as the healthcare industry reacts to news that the health insurer is in talks with CVS Health Corp. (NYSE: CVS) to be acquired for $200 per share, approximately $66 billion. The deal may never be consummated, but it’s gotten a lot of analysts weighing in on the paradigm shift it would bring to the industry. Frank Morgan of RBC Capital Markets gave the nod to vertical integration between managed care organizations, pharmacy benefit managers (PBMs) and providers, given that the managed care companies’ push for horizontal integration in 2013 ended badly... Read More »

Managed Care Deals Dry Up

by | Jul 14, 2017 6:14 pm | Managed Care | 0 comments

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 »
Tenet Healthcare Sheds its Health Plan Business

Tenet Healthcare Sheds its Health Plan Business

by | Jun 2, 2017 7:09 pm | Managed Care, Private Equity | 0 comments

A recent Managed Care deal may portend more troubling news for the struggling industry. Lately, mergers and acquisitions in the sector have been driven by firms exiting the market due to rising costs. Even a network as large as Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC) cited rising costs and unanticipated losses as reasons for shedding its Health Plan Business. On June 1, 2017, Tenet Healthcare Corporation announced it was selling the Medicare Advantage and commercial group membership assets of its subsidiary, Allegian Health Plan, to Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas. The transaction includes nearly 20,000 members, enrolled through small, medium... Read More »

What’s Next for Managed Care?

by | Feb 24, 2017 8:38 pm | Managed Care, Physician Medical Groups, Private Equity | 0 comments

The managed care mega-deals of 2015 have blown up. Aetna (NYSE: AET) and Humana (NYSE: HUM) amicably terminated their $37 billion merger, following a federal judge’s order in January to block the deal on antitrust grounds. The $1 billion termination fee was in the works. A different federal judge blocked Anthem (NYSE: ANTM) and Cigna’s (NYSE: CI) $54.2 billion merger on similar grounds. Things turned ugly quickly, as Cigna declared the deal dead and sued Anthem for the $1.85 billion termination fee, and another $13 billion in damages on behalf of its shareholders. Anthem says it will go ahead with the merger. What do the Big Five health insurers do now that they’re... Read More »

WellCare Branches into Arizona with Care1st Buy

by | Oct 6, 2016 3:54 pm | Managed Care | 0 comments

WellCare Health Plans, Inc. (NYSE: WCG) is moving into the Arizona Medicare and Medicaid markets. Care1st Health Plan, an affiliate of Blue Shield of California, agreed to sell its subsidiaries Care1st Health Plan Arizona, Inc. and ONECare by Care1st Health Plan of Arizona, Inc. (together, Care1st Arizona), managed care companies that provide Medicaid and Medicare benefits to approximately 114,ooo beneficiaries in Maricopa and Pima counties, Arizona’s largest geographic service areas. The $157.5 million purchase price is inclusive of statutory capital and subject to certain adjustments, and will be funded with available cash on hand. WellCare provides government-sponsored managed... Read More »