The daily business briefing: December 11, 2023

SmileDirectClub announces shutdown, Cigna drops bid to buy health insurance rival Humana, and more

SmileDirectClub closes
SmileDirectClub closes shop
(Image credit: Presley Ann / Getty Images for SmileDirectClub)

1. SmileDirectClub says it's shutting down

SmileDirectClub announced over the weekend that it was shutting down, several months after the telehealth orthodontics provider filed for bankruptcy protection. The company, which provided clear aligners remotely without in-person visits to an orthodontist, called the decision "incredibly difficult." It marketed its teeth aligners, which sold for $1,850, as a faster and cheaper alternative to braces offered at orthodontists' offices. Its treatments took four to six months, with online check-ins with dentists. The company was founded in 2014 and was valued at $8.9 billion in its 2019 initial public offering, but it became weighed down by debt. BBC News, The New York Times

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Harold Maass, The Week US

Harold Maass is a contributing editor at The Week. He has been writing for The Week since the 2001 debut of the U.S. print edition and served as editor of TheWeek.com when it launched in 2008. Harold started his career as a newspaper reporter in South Florida and Haiti. He has previously worked for a variety of news outlets, including The Miami Herald, ABC News and Fox News, and for several years wrote a daily roundup of financial news for The Week and Yahoo Finance.