Health insurer Humana and two private-equity firms — TPG Capital and Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe — are buying out home health giant Kindred Healthcare for $800 million. Including debt, Kindred is valued at $4.1 billion.

Why it matters: The deal, first reported by the Wall Street Journal, would combine one of the largest Medicare insurers with a company that treats a lot of seniors at home. It's also another example of the rapid consolidation in health care as companies try to gain negotiating clout and combine businesses with the hope of lowering health care costs.