Kaiser Permanente and Geisinger to Merge in Health System Deal.

Kaiser Permanente plans to acquire Geisinger Health to create a new nonprofit group, Risant Health, that will operate independently and focus on developing nonprofit community health systems. The deal is subject to regulatory review. Kaiser hopes to invest $5 billion in Risant over the next five years and add five or six health systems to the group. The move is a response to the increasing consolidation of the healthcare industry by large for-profit companies. The new venture aims to invest in technology and preventive care to keep patients healthy and reduce the need for expensive specialty and hospital care.