Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Billionaires' Health Care Initiative To Focus On Reducing Waste, Improving Access To Telemedicine
Bloomberg: JPMorgan CEO Sees Long Timeline, Big Goals For Health Venture
A three-way partnership between Amazon.com Inc., Berkshire Hathaway Inc. and JPMorgan Chase & Co. has been the talk of the health-care industry, though the companies themselves have said precious little about it. That changed Thursday morning, when JPMorgan CEO Jamie Dimon laid out some of his ambitions for the venture in his annual letter to the bank’s shareholders, months after its January launch. Notably, Dimon said that the companies would be updating investors on their progress in “coming years,” suggesting a long timeline for the closely watched endeavor. (Tracer, 4/5)
The Wall Street Journal: Anthem May Win By Sitting Out Wave Of Health Insurance Deals
Anthem’s patience is going to pay off. Talks between Walmart and health insurer Humana, if successful, would be the latest in a string of splashy deals in the insurance sector. Pharmacy chain CVS Health has announced it plans to buy Aetna, while Cigna has plans to purchase the pharmacy-benefits manager Express Scripts Holding. The largest publicly traded insurer, UnitedHealth Group , has been bulking up its pharmacy benefit management business for years and has recently bought surgical care centers and physician staffing groups. (Grant, 4/6)
