Health care M&A activity reaches new highs
4Q 2015 Health Care Industry Spotlight
INSIGHT ARTICLE |
The primary drivers of change within the health care industry remain in place and will likely continue to transform the space into 2016. The ongoing ramifications of the Affordable Care Act and the implementation of ICD-10-CM/PCS standards remain crucial variables to consider. On a broader picture, shifting demographics and the health of the overall economy are also still driving growth, with a variety of specialist niches benefiting from the growing number of retirees and more and more employees obtaining insurance, either personally or from their employer.
In terms of M&A activity, Q3 2015 just overtopped its 2014 counterpart to reach a new high of 326 closed transactions. At $82.2 billion, the quarterly sum of deals was only overshadowed by Q1’s outlier of $133.4 billion; otherwise, it represents the second-highest total seen since the start of 2013.
The growth in the numbers of the insured and the evolution of insurance payment models are two of the primary drivers of the heightened levels of M&A activity.