Anthem Plans to Acquire Beacon Health Options

Indianapolis-based health insurance giant Anthem Inc. announced Thursday that it has agreed to buy Beacon Health Options—the largest independent behavioral health organization in the country—for an undisclosed price.

Anthem plans to buy Boston-Based Beacon Health Options, the country's largest independently held behavioral health provider. Beacon cares for about 36 million people across all 50 states with 3 million enrolled in a comprehensive risk based model. According to anthem, acquiring Beacon aligns with Anthem's broader strategic goal of expanding further into the provider space and integrating services more fully.

Acquisition will allow it to offer integrated behavioral and physical healthcare services to customers Nationwide. Beacon will be combined with Anthem's existing behavioral health business.