A Bloomberg column argued the regulatory environment is ripe for an Anthem-Humana merger, which would position Anthem to be a larger player in the Medicare Advantage market.
Here's what you should know:
1. Bloomberg cited the market sentiment around the CVS Health-Aetna merger and the Cigna-Express Scripts merger as reasons why a potential Anthem-Humana merger could be successful.
2. The deal would be smaller than the failed Anthem-Cigna and Aetna-Humana mergers of 2017; however, if combined, the company would become the second-largest Medicare Advantage insurer after UnitedHealth.
3. The combined company would also have a smaller market presence that if the failed mergers had gone through, and Humana would hardly impact Anthem's commercial business.
4. Despite the speculation, Bloomberg said an Anthem-Humana merger may be the only deal that has enough reward to push Anthem into action.