Seattle’s Group Health Cooperative will be acquired by California’s Kaiser Permanente, forming a new region for the giant health-insurance and care provider, which already serves more than 10 million members in eight states and Washington, D.C., officials announced Friday. It’s not yet clear what the new name will be, but the move marks a significant milestone in the nearly 70-year history of Group Health, which was formed in Seattle in 1947 with a mission of providing integrated health care and health coverage to Northwest consumers. “This is an exciting new chapter,” said Dr. Steve Tarnoff, president of Group Health Physicians, who has been with the organization for more than three decades. “This both preserves and promotes our legacy”/Seattle Times. More here.

Question: Do these mergers ever help the little guy?