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takyon [soylentnews.org] writes:

Walmart could acquire [wsj.com] the health insurer Humana [wikipedia.org], in a deal reminiscent of CVS's acquisition of Aetna:

Walmart Inc. is in preliminary talks to buy insurer Humana Inc., according to people familiar with the matter, a deal that would mark a dramatic shift for the retail behemoth and the latest in a recent flurry of big deals in health-care services [wsj.com].

It isn't clear what terms the companies may be discussing, and there is no guarantee they will strike a deal. If they do, the deal would be big: Humana currently has a market value of about $37 billion. It also would be Walmart's largest deal by far, eclipsing its 1999 acquisition of the U.K.'s Asda Group PLC for $10.8 billion. Walmart, which in addition to being the world's biggest retailer is also a major drugstore operator, has a market value of about $260 billion.

[...] Walmart has a vast pharmacy business, with locations in most of its roughly 4,700 U.S. stores and in many of it Sam's Club warehouse locations. Humana is a Medicare-focused insurer that could deepen Walmart's relationship with a key demographic—seniors—at a time when the retailer is being threatened by Amazon on several fronts.

Also at CNN [cnn.com].

Related: $54 Billion Anthem-Cigna Health Insurer Merger Rejected by U.S. Judge [soylentnews.org]
CVS Attempting $66 Billion Acquisition of Health Insurer Aetna [soylentnews.org]
Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JPMorgan Chase to Offer Their Own Health Care to U.S. Employees [soylentnews.org]
Is Amazon Planning a Disruptive AWS-Like Move Into Health Care? [soylentnews.org]
Amazon Prime... For Medicaid Recipients [soylentnews.org]

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