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The Strategist in Brief: February 26, 2026 · The Strategy Catalyst Dispatch

• 0:02
  Anika: This is the strategist in brief for February 26th, 2026.
• 0:07
  Anika: Your quick audio rundown of the top headlines from Strategy Catalyst Newsletter.
• 0:12
  Anika: Here's what strategy leaders should know.
• 0:13
  Anika: This week.
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  Anika: Humana closed its acquisition of the Florida based primary care chain, max Health, one of the largest such deals since CV S's purchase of Oak Street Health in 2023 with Medicare Advantage reimbursement falling behind utilization trends, Providers like Humana and UnitedHealth are leaning further into owned provider assets that might steer downstream volumes away from health systems in competitive markets.
• 0:37
  Anika: If health systems don't acquire the care delivery assets that private equity firms are looking to unload, payers might swoop in instead.
• 0:45
  Anika: Turning to regulatory news, the Trump administration is appealing.
• 0:48
  Anika: A federal court ruling that struck down a Biden error regulation, expanding what merging companies need to disclose to the Federal Trade Commission.
• 0:56
  Anika: the appeal signals that the more aggressive antitrust posture that began under the previous administration still retains some bipartisan support If the new merger rules are rolled back, a more permissive legal environment for m and a could give growing health systems and financially distressed hospitals more strategic options.
• 1:14
  Anika: Larger health systems tend to attract more media and antitrust scrutiny, but they also have cheaper access to capital for strategic transformation.
• 1:22
  Anika: In a six three ruling, the Supreme Court struck down President Trump's sweeping emergency tariff rates.
• 1:27
  Anika: This week's featured graphic breaks down the alternative legal authorities that the administration is drawing on to replace them with new tariffs.
• 1:34
  Anika: Be sure to check out the full newsletter to see the graphic turning to payment models.
• 1:39
  Anika: The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services unveiled surprisingly low rates for its new access model, a voluntary alternative payment model for chronic conditions like high blood pressure, diabetes, and depression.
• 1:51
  Anika: Third party analysts say the access rates are significantly lower than the equivalent fee for service rates under traditional Medicare spurring.
• 1:58
  Anika: Speculation that the new model will only be feasible for startups that replace human clinicians with AI guided care.
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  Anika: And finally, CVS launched a new GLP one drug access service that lets employers decide how much they want to subsidize out-of-pocket costs for their employees.
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  Anika: High prescription drug costs remain a top employer concern, and health systems with provider sponsored commercial plans should consider matching similar features.
• 2:23
  Anika: Health systems sponsored weight management programs might not be able to compete on cost with virtual only alternatives pushed by payers.
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  Anika: That concludes this week's edition.
• 2:35
  Anika: for listening.