Max Nisen, Columnist

A CVS-Aetna Deal Is Logical But Also a Stretch

UnitedHealth is a possible model, but CVS lacks its expertise and balance-sheet power.

October 26, 2017 at 9:26 PM UTC

Max Nisen is a healthcare analyst at Bloomberg Intelligence. He previously wrote for Bloomberg Opinion, Quartz and Business Insider.

1509053425_GettyImages-94151966 — Photographer: Bloomberg/Bloomberg via Getty Images

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Health-care consolidation may get a whole new look.

CVS Health Corp. is reportedly considering a blockbuster buyout of health insurer Aetna Inc. There is a sort of reverse precedent for such a tie-up, with an insurer buying a pharmacy benefit manager (PBM). But there's never been a deal like this, where a company with no experience operating a major insurer would suddenly run one of the country's largest.