• Connecticut/Kentucky: Cigna Group and Humana have resumed talks about a potential merger. Late last year, it was reported that the two insurers were considering a potential merger, but the deal was called off after they were unable to agree on price and other financial terms. According to people familiar with the situation, Cigna and Humana have recently held informal discussions about a potential merger deal. If a merger occurs, the companies could become one of the largest health insurers in the country, with a combined market cap of $125 billion. So far, the discussions are in the early stages, and the companies could decide to push any potential deal past the new year or decide not to pursue a deal at all. So far, representatives for both Cigna and Humana have declined to comment. (Reuters, 10/18; Davis/Tozzi, Bloomberg/Modern Healthcare, 10/18; Primack/Rychlewski, Axios, 10/21)
• Georgia: The American Cancer Society (ACS) has named Wayne A.I. Frederick as the organization's interim CEO, effective Nov. 2. In September, Karen Knudson, ACS' current CEO, announced that she would step down from the role after more than three years. Knudson will remain with the organization as a strategic advisor until early next year to assist with the leadership transition. As interim CEO, Frederick will oversee ACS and the affiliated American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Frederick is president emeritus at Howard University and the Charles R. Drew Professor of Surgery at Howard University College of Medicine. He is a practicing surgeon and medical researcher and has focused on disparities in cancer care outcomes, particularly for gastrointestinal cancers. ACS is continuing to search for a permanent CEO. (Hudson, Modern Healthcare, 10/16)
• Massachusetts: According to a new study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, kidney transplants from donors with HIV were as safe as transplants from those without HIV. For the study, researchers analyzed data from patients at 26 transplantation centers across the United States. All patients had HIV, end-stage renal diseases, met local criteria for kidney transplantation, and agreed to consider receiving a kidney from a deceased donor with HIV. Overall, the researchers found that there were no significant differences between patients who received a kidney from a donor with HIV and those who received a kidney from a donor without HIV. Overall survival, survival without graft loss at one year, and rejection at one and three years were similar among both groups. "As someone who cares for people with HIV and sees firsthand the achievements we've made in treatment, I was not personally surprised by our finding that kidney transplants from donors with HIV to recipients with HIV were as safe and effective as those from donors without HIV, but I suspect that many people may be surprised, because fear and misperceptions about HIV remain," said Christine Durand, medical director of the Transplant Research Center at Johns Hopkins Medicine and the study's lead author. (Monaco, MedPage Today, 10/16)

The healthcare industry is abuzz with news of a potential Cigna and Humana merger. Advisory Board's Jared Landis, Vidal Seegobin, Mallory Kirby, Sally Kim, and Max Hakanson explain why these giants are exploring a merger now, what a combined entity might look like, how it could impact the industry, and the biggest barriers facing this rumored deal.