Caremark

CVS Health is facing questions over a possible corporate restructuring that would separate its retail pharmacy business while keeping its specialty pharmacy operations tied to the Caremark pharmacy benefit manager. Commentators are asking why the company would draw the line this way, with legal and industry analysts weighing in on the strategic and regulatory logic behind such a split.

CVS Health announced plans to break itself up by 2028, separating its retail pharmacy business from its insurance arm Aetna and pharmacy-benefit manager Caremark. The move would unwind the conglomerate formed in 2018 when CVS bought Aetna, returning the company to distinct businesses. It ranks among the most discussed retail business stories globally as analysts weigh the impact on US healthcare and drugstore operations.

CVS Health is planning to break up its company, separating its pharmacy operations from Aetna, its health insurance arm, and Caremark, its pharmacy benefit management unit. The move would undo the conglomerate structure created when CVS merged with Aetna in 2018, and comes amid pressure on healthcare companies to streamline and improve share value.

CVS Health is planning to carve out its retail pharmacy operations from its Aetna insurance and Caremark pharmacy benefit units, a major structural shift for the healthcare conglomerate. The move would untangle the retail drugstore chain from the insurance and pharmacy-benefit-management businesses it merged with in recent years.