Dive Brief:
- Aetna and Humana are experiencing smooth sailing as they work to incorporate Humana into buyer Aetna in anticipation of approval for their pending merger, Louisville Business First reported.
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Aetna President Karen Lynch talked up the pair's integration efforts during the Goldman Sachs 37th Annual Global Healthcare Conference last week in California.
- The two companies have a combined force of more than 200 people focused on integration planning, Lynch said.
Dive Insight:
Aetna and Humana's collaborative efforts come off as particularly positive in comparison to recent news of discord between rival merger partners Anthem and Cigna, which some experts suggest could negatively impact their awaited antitrust approval from the Department of Justice.
Lynch appeared to take a similar view after suggesting Aetna and Humana's successful joint planning could prove a critical factor in obtaining their approval.
“We are very pleased with where we are, relative to our planning efforts,” she said. “It’s been a very collaborative effort with Humana.”
Her talk also echoed previous sentiments shared by Aetna CEO Mark Bertolini that the two companies had begun working to align cultures even before arriving at an acquisition deal in 2015 and that the pair are highly focused on retaining key talent, Louisville Business First reported.
Lynch said the companies still expect to close the deal by the end of 2016, while Anthem and Cigna have publicly disagreed on whether they are likely to achieve the same timing or push into 2017.