Sure, there was some drama along the way with Bristol-Myers Squibb's proposed acquisition of Celgene. But it never made sense to bet against the deal. And now shareholders of both companies have approved the transaction. The only things left are the standard regulatory approvals and closing formalities.
When Hayden Myer made an eye doctor’s appointment for the end of April, he told the clinic that he might not show up for the visit if his tax refund didn’t arrive in time. The 27-year-old, who says his vision is bad enough that he avoids driving at night, has been wearing a four-year-old pair of glasses since he ran out of contact lenses last summer. He’s expecting about $265 from his refund.
The U.S. ranks No. 1 for highest health care costs per person. Annual family health insurance premiums rose 5% last year, averaging $19,616, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. A healthy couple retiring at 65 this year can expect to spend $285,000 on health care in retirement, says Fidelity Investments. So, what could lower crushing health care costs in America?
Six elderly women have just finished their morning chair yoga inside a CVS in this Houston suburb. “It’s peaceful, and you get a nice stretch,” says one. Another says she has been coming to this CVS store’s MinuteClinic for checkups and treatment for high blood pressure, as well as a nutrition plan that she tracks on her phone through a partnership with Noom, a diet app. “I log everything,” she says.
In the past, Becky Amason rarely worried about making a trip to the doctor’s office — she was covered by her husband’s health insurance plan. But that isn’t the case anymore. Last year was the first time she’d ever been on an insurance plan offered by her employer, Sanger ISD. Like many other teachers in Texas, she chose the cheapest: a traditional plan with low monthly premiums but a high deductible.
The rout in managed-care stocks has exceeded even the most bearish expectations as policy makers in Washington spar over proposals that threaten to disrupt their businesses. Several U.S. health insurance providers have seen the spread between their stock prices and the average analyst price target widen to the highest levels in at least 15 years over the past month, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.