CVS and Aetna say their huge merger will be great for consumers. Here's why you should be skeptical

The CEOs of drug retailer CVS and Aetna were marvelously in sync Sunday when they jointly announced their companies' $69 billion deal under which CVS would buy the health insurer.

The deal would "dramatically further empower consumers," Aetna's Mark Bertolini said. It would "create a platform that is easier to use and less expensive for consumers," according to Larry Merlo, president and CEO of CVS Health. They repeated these predictions in a series of joint interviews.

All that was missing was a clue to how, exactly, this nirvana of better, cheaper health care was to be reached. Clues to how little