WOONSOCKET, R.I. — Shareholders of CVS Health voted overwhelmingly to approve the company's $69 billion deal to acquire health insurer Aetna Inc. CVS said that in a special stockholders meeting on Tuesday, more than 98% of shares were voted in favor of the CVS-Aetna merger agreement, which was announced in early December. Also at a special shareholders meeting on Tuesday, more than 77% of Aetna stockholders voted in favor of the merger deal. The agreement has already been approved by the boards of both companies. Pending regulatory approvals and other customary closing conditions, the transaction is slated to close in the second half of this year. "When this merger is complete, the combined company will be well-positioned to reshape the consumer health care experience, putting people at the center of health care delivery to ensure they have access to high-quality, more affordable care where they are, when they need it," CVS Health president and chief executive officer Larry Merlo said in a statement.