The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), joined by attorneys general from Maryland, Illinois, New Jersey, and New York, filed a lawsuit on Nov.
12 to block UnitedHealth Group’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys Inc., a leading home health and hospice services provider.
“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,” Attorney General Merrick Garland said. “The Justice Department will not hesitate to check unlawful consolidation and monopolization in the healthcare market that threatens to harm vulnerable patients, their families, and health care workers.” The complaint asserts that UnitedHealth and Amedisys are “fierce competitors” in providing home health and hospice services.
The DOJ also argues that the merger would negatively impact home health and hospice nurses by reducing competition for their employment, potentially affecting wages and working conditions. UnitedHealth’s acquired LHC Group Inc. in 2023, a competitor of Amedisys, which the DOJ said already positioned United as one of the largest providers in the industry.
The DOJ claims that the proposed merger with Amedisys would further consolidate the market, making it “presumptively illegal” in hundreds of local markets across 23 states and the District of Columbia. According to the complaint, this could affect an annual volume of comme.