Short Take: Covad invests in Healtheon/WebMD

Covad Communications, a digital subscriber line (DSL) provider, invested $15 million in merger partners Healtheon and WebMD, an online health care resources site. The investment is a first for Covad, which hopes to grab a piece of the $1 trillion health care industry by becoming the "preferred provider" of DSL lines for doctors who subscribe to the Healtheon/WebMD service. Healtheon/WebMD has committed to buying a certain number of DSL lines, executives said.