Anthem's purchase of Aspire Health is officially a done deal, and months ahead of schedule.
The Indianapolis-based insurer announced the completion of its acquisition of the country's "largest non-hospice community-based palliative care provider," which serves 25 states and Washington, D.C.
The announcement comes less than a month after Anthem first announced the merger, which was originally expected to close in the third quarter of 2018. Anthem did not immediately respond to FierceHealthcare's request for why the merger was completed early.
“With the addition of Aspire, we are able to expand our capabilities and serve a broader set of consumers in the home and other settings outside of the hospital, while further deepening our relationships within the healthcare community," Gail K. Boudreaux, president and CEO of the Anthem, said in a statement.
Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed, but Anthem said the purchase is neutral to 2018 earnings and accretive to earnings next year.
Anthem's purchase follows similar, recent steps taken by rival insurers Aetna, UnitedHealth and Humana. Humana, in particular, has teamed up with investors to purchase two large post-acute care providers including Kindred Healthcare and Curo Health Services.