Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has settled the question of premium subsidy constitutionality, the way may be clear for a major insurance industry consolidation move.
Soon after the court's ruling this week, Wall Street analysts turned their laser focus on carriers Aetna, Humana and Cigna. These three have been doing the merger/acquisition dance for months, as they maneuver to do what's best for their shareholders in an extremely volatile market.
Humana, the primary target of potential buyers, saw its stock shoot up in double-digit fashion again late this week following the court ruling. Shares soared above $200 in early trading Friday.
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Analysts continue to give out mixed reviews of the proposed nuptials between any of the parties. They point out that Humana shares are way out of line—more than 25 times 2014 earnings—and that shares of the others have reached insupportable heights as well.
But with the subsidies in place, offering market stability, and Humana's much-coveted Medicare business as the come-on, some merger among the players now seems inevitable.
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Dan Cook
Dan Cook is a journalist and communications consultant based in Portland, OR. During his journalism career he has been a reporter and editor for a variety of media companies, including American Lawyer Media, BusinessWeek, Newhouse Newspapers, Knight-Ridder, Time Inc., and Reuters. He specializes in health care and insurance related coverage for BenefitsPRO.
