On Monday, shareholders voted to approve a $37 billion deal to sell Louisville-based Fortune 500 company Humana to health insurer Aetna, which is headquartered in Connecticut.
The vote is another hurdle cleared for the companies, but shareholders aren't the final arbiter; federal regulators are still reviewing the terms and aren't expected to finish their work for months.
That's where complications could arise. The deal, which would make Aetna the second-largest health insurer in the U.S., is happening alongside a $54 billion takeover attempt of Cigna by insurer Anthem. Analysts say they believe federal regulators are considering the two in the broader context of health insurance consolidation.
WFPL News recently spoke with Courier-Journal business reporter Grace Schneider about what’s next for Humana workers — there are about 13,000 in Louisville — and what the vote means for the overall deal.
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"They expect at least 13,000 people to be working here in Louisville on the government-related businesses: TRICARE, which is for the military, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid," Schneider says. "And if those rolls grow, they expect the employment to grow."
