Attorney General James Sues UnitedHealth and Amedisys to Stop Merger
Click to Enlarge
New York’s Attorney General Letitia James has joined three state attorneys general and the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in a lawsuit against two of the country’s largest providers of home health and hospice services for seniors, UnitedHealth and Amedisys, to block United’s acquisition of Amedisys which will threaten the quality of critical health care services for millions of Americans, including New Yorkers.
As noted in the AG’s press release, United and Amedisys are top competitors in many home health markets across the country, including certain areas of upstate New York. The competition forces both companies to improve the quality of their services, keep costs low, and incentivizes them to offer higher pay and benefits to their employees. The lawsuit maintains that United’s acquisition of Amedisys would violate antitrust laws by ending competition, leaving vulnerable patients and their families with worse care, higher prices, and result in lower pay and benefits for healthcare providers.
The release further highlights the concern of this excess market concentration in the context of millions of seniors across New York relying on home health and hospice services every day to stay in their homes as they receive essential medical and end-of-life care. As demand for home health and hospice rises as the U.S. population ages, these services are becoming increasingly valuable and essential for millions of American families.
See this link to read AG James’ full press release about this case. MSSNY will keep an eye on this issue and share updates as they come.
