(Bloomberg) -- Cigna Group has revived efforts to combine with its smaller rival Humana Inc. after merger talks fell apart late last year, according to people familiar with the matter.
The two health insurance giants, with a combined market value of more than $125 billion, have held informal discussions recently about a potential deal, said the people who asked to not be identified because the talks aren’t public. The discussions are in early stages, they added.
Shares of Humana were up 5.6% after the close of regular trading Friday, while Cigna fell about 5.3%.
The talks come amid ongoing pressure from the federal government to control Medicare costs that have eaten away at Humana’s finances and market value. An agreement between the two would likely rank among the five biggest health insurance deals, based on data compiled by Bloomberg.
Cigna is looking to close the sale of its Medicare Advantage business in the coming weeks before committing to any other transactions, one of the people said. That exit could help pave the way for a deal with Humana by removing areas of overlap that would draw scrutiny from antitrust regulators.
No decision has been made and Cigna or Humana could opt to push any deal past the new year or decide against pursuing one altogether, the people said.
Representatives for Cigna and Humana declined to comment.
Humana, whose stock has fallen 42% this year, closed at $267.14 a share in regular trading in New York Friday, giving the company a market value of about $32 billion. Cigna’s late-trading losses compounded an earlier 4.9% drop to $336 share, which gave the company a market value of $94 billion.
Earlier Talks
Cigna and Humana held talks to combine last year, but Cigna walked away after failing to agree on a price, Bloomberg News reported in December.
Humana is focused on private Medicare Advantage plans, a segment of the insurance industry squeezed by rising medical costs and stricter payment rules from the federal government. The company is on a multi-year path to get back to its target profit margins of at least 3% in Medicare.
The insurer lost ground on crucial Medicare quality ratings linked to payments, a setback that threatens billions in revenue for 2026 and sent its stock price tumbling this month. One analyst called it a “worst-case scenario” for Humana.
Humana said it’s appealing the federal government’s quality ratings, which affect Medicare bonus payments in future years. The company has historically had strong quality scores. If it recovers next year, the company could restore that earnings power in 2027 and beyond.
(Updates with additional context in second section)
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