$Mogul - must read! This is a trend!
Yesterday J&J, Baxter and others creating an online exchange for medical products.
Today this from the health insurance world!
This is why I will not buy or play, pure play inets, sticking with technology suppliers and related areas that will assist these large corporations the equipments and expertise to set up these new businesses.
Thursday March 30, 2:09 am Eastern Time
Health insurers to form Internet venture - NYT
NEW YORK, March 30 (Reuters) - Six of the largest health insurers are developing their own online project to make it easier for patients to enroll in health plans and choose doctors, blocking Internet health care companies from moving into their territory in cyberspace, the New York Times said Thursday.
The consortium, whose members are Aetna U.S. Healthcare (NYSE:AET - news), Cigna Corp., WellPoint Health Networks Inc. (NYSE:WLP - news), Oxford Health Plans Inc. (NasdaqNM:OXHP - news), Foundation Health Systems Inc. (NYSE:FHS - news) and PacifiCare Health Systems Inc. (NasdaqNM:PHSY - news) have been in talks with IBM (NYSE:IBM - news) and Oracle Corp. (NasdaqNM:ORCL - news) and several smaller technologies companies to develop the project, the Times said.
The initiative, tentatively called MedUnite, will help patients choose not only doctors but hospitals and would replace paperwork and telephone calls, the Times said.
The companies are expected to formally announce the project within the next 60 days, the Times said.
MedUnite will pit the insurers against Healtheon/WebMD Corp. (NasdaqNM:HLTH - news), the biggest Internet health care company. Before the companies develop the venture, they were to become Healtheon's biggest customers, the Times said. |
