Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Just 3 Years After Making Huge Splash In Health Care, Haven Goes Kaput
Haven is ending about three years after Amazon, JPMorgan Chase and Berkshire Hathaway set out to improve outcomes and lower costs for their employees, the companies announced Monday. The independent company "free from profit-making incentives and constraints" aimed to improve employee satisfaction and reduce healthcare costs for Amazon, JPMorgan and Berkshire's around 1 million U.S. employees, but executives shared little detail about the joint venture. Haven will cease operations at the end of February, according to its website. (Kacik, 1/4)
The dissolution of Haven marks one of the most stunning collapses in modern health care history. The venture, led by Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway, and JP Morgan Chase, was heralded immediately as a powerful new player to watch. Its January 2018 launch erased billions of dollars in value from health care companies within seconds. Even before it had a name, the company spawned a trade secrets lawsuit from the rival health care giant Optum. (Brodwin and Ross, 1/5)
Haven will cease operations at the end of February, Haven spokesperson Brooke Thurston confirmed to STAT. 鈥淭he Haven team made good progress exploring a wide range of healthcare solutions, as well as piloting new ways to make primary care easier to access, insurance benefits simpler to understand and easier to use, and prescription drugs more affordable,鈥 she said. Thurston said the three companies will 鈥渃ontinue to collaborate informally鈥 on programs for their individual employee populations. (Brodwin, 1/4)
Haven demonstrated plenty of ambition when it debuted in 2018. At the time, the three prominent executives put their names behind the effort, garnering massive media coverage for their efforts to address one of the most intractable challenges in corporate America. Reducing costs was a primary objective. JPMorgan declined to say how much it spent on Haven, except to note that the costs were 鈥渋mmaterial,鈥 spokesman Joseph Evangelisti said via email. In a letter to employees, Dimon pledged to build on Haven鈥檚 accomplishments, even though he didn鈥檛 specifically detail them. (Greene, 1/4)