Major health tech deal prompts questions over competition, industry's future

Telemedicine provider Teladoc Health yesterday announced an $18.5 billion deal to buy the diabetes coaching company Livongo, in what's being seen as the creation of the first true health tech giant. The deal comes as the pandemic has fueled an unprecedented demand for virtual care. And even though federal regulators have passed legislation to make it easier for patients to access telemedicine during the pandemic, the size of the deal and its implications still raise a lot of questions, including how regulators will perceive the merger. It's possible that there's regulatory pushback, experts say, but the deal may be green-lit because Teladoc isn't purchasing one of its competitors. There are other questions about what the merger will mean for traditional doctors as well as whether the joint company can move into Medicare and Medicaid.