Despite Aetna's pending $69 billion mega-deal with Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health, Aetna Chairman and CEO Mark Bertolini said healthcare must "go back to the community" and utilize smaller governance models to ensure all Americans receive proper care, according to the Hartford Courant.
Speaking during a conference in California March 19, Mr. Bertolini highlighted his vision for the healthcare system during the next few years — a vision that focused on the importance of maintaining the local aspect of healthcare.
"Everything is going back to community," Mr. Bertolini said. "I think the best way to manage the kind of shift we're in is to go back to community and build smaller and smaller governance models to help support the growth of this."
"You got to be in the community. … That's one of the reasons we put the companies together with CVS is this idea that there are 10,000 stores within 5 miles of 80 percent of the American public," he continued.
Mr. Bertolini's comments come amid the insurer's proposed deal with CVS Health, which, if successful, would be one of the most transformational transactions the industry has seen in recent years, and potentially allow Aetna to expand its digital business and create more personalized care plans for patients, according to the Hartford Courant.
While shareholders for both companies recently approved the acquisition, the deal has yet to be approved by state and federal regulatory agencies. The proposed deal is currently under review by the U.S. Department of Justice, which requested more information about the deal last month, according to the report. Several lawmakers have also asked federal officials to review the deal.