Earlier this week, Walgreens Boots Alliance (Nasdaq: WBA) CEO Tim Wentworth teased a “strategic evaluate” of the corporate's property, together with these inside the U.S. healthcare section. In the meantime, Tom Cowhey, CFO of CVS Well being (NYSE: CVS), offered updates on the place Aetna might go within the close to time period with its extra advantages.

“We at the moment are taking a significant take a look at the whole portfolio of property that we’ve to make sure that the whole lot we’ve will drive the expansion that we need to obtain,” Wentworth mentioned Monday on the forty fourth annual TD Cowen Healthcare Convention.

Walgreens, like CVS Well being, is betting huge on its healthcare division.

Walgreens' U.S. healthcare section contains in-home care options platform CareCentrix, together with main care supplier VillageMD, wherein it has invested greater than $6 billion lately.

“In April we are going to sit down with our board and bear a strategic evaluate,” Wentworth mentioned. “There gained't be an enormous bang subsequent, the place we announce and unveil some unimaginable new Walgreens. That would be the beginning sign for lots of labor that we’ve to do.”

This comes a few month after Walgreens introduced it had a brand new chief of America's healthcare trade.

Beforehand, Jeff Driscoll – the ex-CEO of CareCentrix – was the top of that section. Now Mary Langowski has taken over. Langowski was beforehand CEO of the managed providers group Solera Well being. She additionally hung out at CVS, the place she served as Chief Technique and Company Improvement Officer.

“This doesn't simply occur in a single day,” Wentworth mentioned. “Total, it’ll most likely take a couple of years earlier than the broader set of questions we have to reply actually begins to bear fruit.”

Extra advantages

CVS Well being has an identical section to Walgreens' US Healthcare, which it calls CVS Healthspire.

This contains Signify Well being and Oak Road Well being.

However Cowhey's most notable feedback — Tuesday on the forty fifth annual Raymond James Institutional Investor Convention — have been about Aetna and fringe advantages.

Medicare Benefit (MA) plans have the pliability to supply extra advantages by way of two pathways: the Primarily Well being Associated pathway and the Particular Supplemental Advantages for the Chronically Ailing (SSBCI) pathway.

One profit that may be offered by way of each pathways—and as soon as a trigger for a lot optimism amongst private care suppliers about MA—is home-based supportive providers (IHSS).

Whereas profit choices – and IHSS choices – rose steadily for a couple of years, the plans have been withdrawn in 2024.

Aetna, a part of CVS, stays primarily dedicated to house well being advantages.

Nevertheless, that would change.

“What are some issues we must be taking a look at?” Cowhey mentioned. “I believe extra advantages must be on that record. I believe we – and possibly the whole sector – must take a look at all the advantages throughout the board and resolve the place to chop again. However I do know extra advantages shall be a part of that dialog.”