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The consolidation among the biggest health insurance players that seemed so inevitable not long ago may fizzle into a series of smaller deals aimed at growing market share in Medicare and Medicaid plans. Aetna's $37 billion play for Humana, announced 19 months ago, appeared to be on its deathbed last week. A federal judge issued an order blocking the transaction, agreeing with the U.S. Justice Department's arguments that allowing it to happen would harm consumers in the Medicare Advantage and individual insurance markets. (Livingston, 1/28)

Anthem Inc shares could rise by 30 percent as the U.S. health insurer is undervalued and has the most room for improvement in profit margins and earnings among its peers, Barron's reported. The company also has the lowest price-to-earnings ratio among its peers including UnitedHealth Group Inc and Aetna, Barron's said, adding that the stock trades at just 13 times the projected 2017 earnings, a discount to its four big rivals. (Kumar, 1/29)