DOJ Sues to Block UnitedHealth’s $3.3 Billion Acquisition of Amedisys

The DOJ and four states say the merger would harm competition in home health and hospice care as companies defend acquisition.

The UnitedHealth Group headquarters in Minneapolis, Minn., on July 12, 2019. Jim Mone/AP Photo

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.

According to a press release from the DOJ, the government alleges that the merger would eliminate competition between UnitedHealth and Amedisys, potentially harming patients, insurers, and health care workers in these critical markets.