Justice Department Sues to Block UnitedHealth Group’s Acquisition of Home Health and Hospice Provider Amedisys
Summary
“We are challenging this merger because home health and hospice patients and their families experiencing some of the most difficult moments of their lives deserve affordable, high quality care options,” said Attorney General Merrick B. Garland. Unless this $3.3 billion transaction is stopped, UnitedHealth Group will further extend its grip to home health and hospice care, threatening seniors, their families and nurses,” said Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division. But as the complaint alleges, the proposed divestiture does not alleviate harm in over 100 home health, hospice, and labor markets, which generate at least a billion dollars in revenue annually, serve at least 200,000 patients, and employ at least 4,000 nurses. As further alleged in the complaint, VitalCaring has lower quality scores than either UnitedHealth or Amedisys and is beset by financial challenges, including a potential legal judgment approaching a half-billion dollars. In 2022, before their company was acquired by UnitedHealth, LHC nurses and other healthcare professionals made approximately 12 million visits to patients in 37 states and the District of Columbia and earned over $2.3 billion in revenue.