Evaluating The DOJ’s Arguments Against The UnitedHealth Group-Amedisys Deal
Home Health Care News November 14, 2024
The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and four state attorneys general filed a lawsuit to block UnitedHealth Group’s (NYSE: UNH) acquisition of Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED) this week. The DOJ’s complaint is thorough, with some compelling arguments, and some less so.
Home health veterans have been predicting consolidation of the fragmented industry for a long time. The DOJ seems less enthusiastic about that, however, at least when it comes to large-scale transactions.
Though it took aim at multiple parties it believed would be negatively affected by the deal – patients, payers and home health nurses – the DOJ’s main argument was focused around LHC Group and Amedisys combining.
UnitedHealth Group’s Optum acquired LHC Group for $5.4 billion in 2023. A few...