Cigna is reviving efforts to merge with Humana after talks fell apart late last year, Bloomberg News reported, quoting people familiar with the matter.
Why it matters: The combined company would be one of the nation's biggest health insurers, but would also likely attract antitrust scrutiny.
Driving the news: The companies have held informal, early-stage discussions about a potential deal, but Cigna is looking to close the sale of its Medicare Advantage business before moving on to other transactions, Bloomberg reported.
While that could eliminate one area of overlap, Cigna still is facing scrutiny from regulators and Congress over its Express Scripts pharmacy benefit business. A recent Federal Trade Commission report blamed the nation's biggest PBMs for rising drug prices. Express Scripts has since sued over the report, calling for a retraction.
Humana recently took a hit on Medicare quality ratings that are linked to payments, a setback that threatens billions in revenue for 2026 and poses what one analyst called a "worst-case scenario" for the company, per Bloomberg.
