Trump Tells Health Insurers to Expect `Something Special’

President Donald Trump told major U.S. health insurers at a White House meeting Monday to expect “something special” to replace Obamacare, as the administration gets more involved in Republican efforts to repeal the health-care law. “We’re going to be talking about it tomorrow night during the speech,” Trump said, referring to his address to a joint session of Congress scheduled for Tuesday.

Aetna Shares Bounce Back After Close

Aetna shares plummeted Friday during regular trading hours after announcing it was approving up to $4 billion in share repurchases and that it would double its quarterly cash dividend to 50 cents per share. The mega health insurer’s share prices fell 3.2% on heavy volume ahead of market’s close Friday, hitting $125.27 apiece.

Aetna, Humana Abandon $37 Billion Merger Blocked by Judge

Aetna Inc. ended its $37 billion takeover of Humana Inc., after deciding not to appeal a ruling by a federal judge who blocked the health insurers’ combination on antitrust grounds. The companies came to a mutual agreement to terminate the deal, and Aetna will pay Humana a $1 billion breakup fee, or about $630 million after taxes.

Federal Judge Blocks Anthem’s Planned Acquisition of Cigna

A federal judge on Wednesday blocked health insurer Anthem Inc. from acquiring rival Cigna Corp., the second court ruling in recent weeks to deal a decisive rebuke to efforts to reshape the industry through megamergers. The decision, by U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson, said the proposed $48 billion deal violated federal antitrust law because it would create an unacceptable reduction in the number of companies that can serve large national employers that insure their workers.

Federal judge swats Aetna-Humana insurer combo

A federal judge has rejected health insurer Aetna’s plan to buy rival Humana Inc. for about $34 billion and become a major player in the market for Medicare Advantage coverage. U.S. District Judge John Bates says in an opinion filed Monday that he largely agrees with federal regulators who contended that such a combination would hurt competition.

Aetna And Humana Stock Each Drop 2% In Heavy Volume After Federal Judge Blocks Merger

Aetna Inc. shares dropped 2.4% and Humana Inc. shares dropped 2.0% in heavy volume during midday trade Monday after The Wall Street Journal and Reuters reported that a federal judge had blocked their merger on antitrust grounds. The federal judge’s Monday decision said the DOJ had successfully argued that the deal could hurt consumers with Medicare Advantage plans, according to the WSJ.