BlackRock pays $2.8 billion for majority stake in Humana’s CenterWell

Tara covers the business of health care. Her stories focus on hospitals, doctors, and how their business practices affect patients — especially when private equity gets involved. She also writes about health insurance and ideas for improving our broken health system. You can reach Tara on Signal at tarabannow.70.

Humana is swapping out private equity sponsors for its CenterWell Senior Primary Care clinics. Good bye, Welsh, Carson, Anderson & Stowe. Hello, BlackRock. 

The health insurer announced Tuesday that BlackRock is buying out Welsh Carson’s majority stake in its network of 150 Medicare Advantage-focused clinics in a transaction valued at $2.8 billion. Over the next two years, Humana said the deal would help the company fund existing clinic operations, add new clinics, and make other strategic acquisitions.  

It’s been more than six years since Welsh Carson’s initial investment in CenterWell, making this precisely the time you’d expect a private equity firm to head for the exit. Welsh Carson has poured at least $1.8 billion into the venture since 2020.