Cigna's $52-billion purchase of Express Scripts won't necessarily benefit consumers
The health care industry is consolidating in a series of head-snapping deals. But like many of the recent multibillion-dollar combinations, it's not clear whether the just-announced $52-billion merger of Cigna Corp. and Express Scripts Holding Co. will deliver lower premiums or cheaper drugs for consumers.
On Thursday, health insurance giant Cigna announced it will buy Express Scripts, the largest pharmacy benefit manager in the country. Unless federal regulators move to block it - as they did with two recent proposed health insurance company tie-ups - the merger is expected to be complete by the end of the year.
It's just the latest sign that health care giants are trying to gain more control over rising costs, especially for new prescription medicines. In December, CVS Health - a pharmacy benefit manager with almost 90 million plan members - announced it would buy Aetna, which has an estimated 45 million customers.
In 2015, only 1 percent to 2 percent of the American public used specialty drugs - pharmaceuticals that
