U.S. health spending rose to $3.3 trillion in 2016, but the pace slowed compared to the previous two years as demand for drugs, hospital care and physician services weakened, according to a federal study released Wednesday.

The nation's five largest insurers are increasingly dependent on government programs such as Medicare and Medicaid for growth in enrollment, revenue and profits, according to a new Health Affairs study.

CVS Health said on Sunday that it had agreed to buy Aetna for about $69 billion in a deal that would combine the drugstore giant with one of the biggest health insurers in the United States and has the potential to reshape the nation’s health care industry.

The sweeping tax overhaul that passed the U.S. Senate on Saturday contains the Republicans' biggest blow yet to former President Barack Obama's healthcare law, repealing the requirement that all Americans obtain health insurance.

Health insurers—and hospitals—soon may be socked by a double whammy that could drive away insurers' healthier customers, induce them to spike premiums and unravel the individual market.

The legislation to fund the government for two weeks could also provide some short-term relief to help states keep their Children’s Health Insurance Programs (CHIP) afloat.