WellPoint Health Networks Inc. carv...

WellPoint Health Networks Inc. carved another big piece of the health maintenance organization pie for itself, saying in late November that it will acquire CareFirst BlueCros Blue-Shield for $13 billion. That announcement came upon the heels of another WellPoint acquisition effort--the $13 billion merger with Right-Choice Managed Care Inc., announced in October.

The CareFirst acquisition will give California-based WellPoint access to 13 million members in Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia and northern