It's happening. CVS is buying Aetna for $69 billion, which could make the deal the biggest merger of 2017. The Wall Street Journal suggested that the deal was proposed as a way to guard against the looming threat of Amazon entering the pharmacy business.
Is this a game changer? I'd say "yes." Mark Bertolini, Aetna's Chief Executive Officer, described the merger as "creating a new front door for health care in America." The deal comes as the industry is looking over the horizon, seeing how Amazon could shake things up — even though Amazon's plans have not been announced.
There's a lot of speculation from the industry about this deal. Will it create more customer touchpoints or vertical experiences? Will there be additional mergers? What is the future of brick and mortar stores? Instead of getting caught up in the unknown, at times like this, I like to keep my focus on what I can do to improve my business.
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