Both Humana and CVS Health on Wednesday touted plans to aggressively scale their primary care clinics for seniors and funnel Medicare members into those clinics.
It’s a formula that’s been mastered by UnitedHealth Group, which is both the country’s largest Medicare Advantage insurer and one of the biggest physician employers. Even so, investors signaled they think Humana and CVS can catch up, sending both companies’ stock prices higher after their respective second quarter earnings calls Wednesday morning.
Both Humana and CVS, which owns the insurer Aetna, have made major leaps into primary care for older adults in recent years. Humana is partnering with a private equity firm to add more CenterWell Senior Primary Care sites, while CVS bought the Medicare provider Oak Street Health in May.