There's a game of musical chairs going on in the health insurer world and Aetna looks determined to secure a seat before the music stops.
Aetna (AET), the No. 2 U.S. health insurer, is nearing a deal to acquire Humana, according to Bloomberg News. That would leave Cigna, Anthem and UnitedHealth as the final three big health insurers that are still independent.
Signs of industry consolidation have helped lift shares of all five companies -- and Aetna is no exception. It's up 45% so far this year.
The group received another boost last week when a Supreme Court ruling allowed 6.4 million Americans to keep their Obamacare subsidies.
