How Health Insurers Are Buying Up Primary Care Practices

Episode 57 of Services Economy with Fexingo explores the vertical integration wave in healthcare: health insurers are acquiring primary care practices at an accelerating pace. Lucas and Luna break down the numbers — over 200 independent practices bought by insurers in 2025 alone — and examine what this means for patients, doctors, and costs. They discuss the case of UnitedHealth Group's Optum division, which now employs over 90,000 physicians, and contrast it with Humana's partnership approach with Conviva. The hosts ask whether consolidation leads to better coordinated care or higher premiums. No hype, just a clear-eyed look at a structural shift reshaping the service sector. #HealthInsurers #PrimaryCare #VerticalIntegration #UnitedHealthGroup #Optum #Humana #Conviva #HealthcareEconomics #InsuranceConsolidation #ServiceSector #Economics #Business #HealthcareCosts #ProviderNetworks #PatientCare #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #ServicesEconomy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo