CVS says Aetna deal should close by Thanksgiving
CVS Health’s acquisition of Aetna is still pending as it awaits regulatory approval in five states, but CEO Larry Merlo expects the deal to close in the next several weeks.
The $69 billion deal was cleared by the Department of Justice last month.
Merlo said at CVS’ third-quarter earnings call that it has already reached an agreement on “all material terms” with California regulators, and is “pretty far down the road” in New York as well. New Jersey held a hearing Monday on the merger, the last state to do so.
CVS also projected that deal would lead to $750 million in savings. (FierceHealthPayer)
Kaiser Permanente Colorado lays off 200 employees
Kaiser Permanente Colorado announced that it would lay off 200 workers to “address redundancies.”
The impacted employees, who work in administrative and nonclinical positions, were notified on Nov. 2 about the layoffs. Kaiser Permanente Colorado announced last month that it would review its operations following financial struggles.
Kaiser, the state’s largest insurer, employs more than 8,000 in Colorado. The affected staffers will earn 60 days of administrative pay and a severance. (The Denver Post)
Planned Parenthood: We’re complying with Arkansas’ abortion pill restriction
Planned Parenthood said that is complying with a law in Arkansas that requires doctors who provide abortion pills to contract with a hospital physician who has admitting privileges.
Attorneys for Planned Parenthood and the state had asked federal judges to lift a provision preventing Arkansas from enforcing the law, as it found a contracting doctor.
Planned Parenthood had previously argued that the law would make Arkansas the first state to effectively ban such pills. (The Associated Press)