STAT+: DOJ sues to block UnitedHealth takeover of home health giant Amedisys

The Department of Justice on Tuesday sued to prevent UnitedHealth Group from buying Amedisys, one of the largest home health and hospice chains in the country.

The DOJ’s lawsuit, which is joined by the attorneys general from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, is one of the agency’s most aggressive actions to halt UnitedHealth from moving further into the delivery of health care. 

Antitrust enforcers said the deal is “presumptively anticompetitive and illegal” because UnitedHealth previously acquired another major home health and hospice provider, LHC Group, which directly competes with Amedisys, in February 2023. The government’s lawsuit says the Amedisys deal would give UnitedHealth control of at least 30% of the home health or hospice markets in eight states. It would also expand the company’s presence in those services to an additional five states, and to almost 500 locations across 32 states where it already competes.

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