Following CVS Health’s acquisition of Aetna there are some questions to be answered about how this affects Medicare Insurance, specially Part D. Aetna has sold its Medicare Part D prescription plan business of 2.2 million beneficiaries to WellCare Health Plans, explaining that WellCare will own Aetna’s national Part D business operations as of 2020. This side deal nearly triples membership in WellCare’s standalone Medicare Part D plans.
How does the CVS- Aetna merger affect Medicare?
Aetna will continue providing administrative services and holding the risk for its Part D plans through the end of the 2019 plan year. The company has also released a separate disclosure that explains the sale of its Part D businesses to WellCare does not impact its Medicare Advantage (MA), MA prescription drug, or other Medicare health plan products. It is too early to know how this will affect future Medicare Part D options and prices but we should know more when 2020 plans and rates are released. This is expected around September of 2019. Feel free to circle back with us to compare 2020 prices over the phone (the Center for Medicare Services will not let us publish them online).
WellCare to be acquired by Centene
Following the statement that Aetna was selling his Part D plans to WellCare, came the news that WellCare itself will be acquired by Centene. You can read more in our article Well Care to be acquired by Centene.