Since the loss of cost-sharing reduction payments related to coverage on the Affordable Care Act exchanges, insurers have boosted their rates by anywhere from 7 to 38 percent, according to an analysis by the Kaiser Family Foundation.

Eight of the 15 fastest-growing occupations are in health care, with median salaries in 2016 ranging from $21,920 for personal care aides to $101,480 for physician assistants

A deal between the two would create a health-services giant and a bigger competitor for UnitedHealth Group Inc., which is the largest U.S. health insurer and has its own own clinics and a pharmacy-benefits unit.