In a letter to the broker community Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini provided a glimpse of where the combined CVS/Aetna entity hopes to head once everything is completed. If approved, the blockbuster transaction is expected to close late in 2018.
Here’s what Bertolini had to say:
“CVS Health and Aetna are joining to become the trusted front door to health care. Nearly 70 percent of the U.S. population lives within three miles of a CVS Health retail store and nearly five million Americans visit CVS Health every day. We will use CVS Health’s 9,700 retail locations to establish entirely new community health hubs dedicated to improving consumer wellbeing and answering questions about health, prescription drugs and health care benefits.
Our company will deliver care by utilizing CVS Health’s network of 1,100 in-store clinics, which are significantly less expensive than traditional health care delivery settings. Further integration of our pharmacy operations will help offset some of the projected increases in prescription drug prices, resulting in cost savings for employers and consumers.”
How Does This Week’s Announcement Impact Our Employer Clients Currently on Aetna Plans? And, Should You Be Concerned?
If you have an Aetna plan in place now or are considering switching to an Aetna plan in 2018 there’s no cause for any immediate concern.
According to Bertolini the pending transaction would have no immediate effect on the Aetna products already in place or any Aetna products offered in the market in 2018.
Or, as the title of a recent Wall Street Journal article analyzing the effects of the acquisition proclaimed CVS-Aetna Is More Tortoise Than Hare.