WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division has reached a proposed settlement with UnitedHealth Group over its $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys, requiring the company to divest at least 164 home health and hospice facilities. The divested locations, spread across 19 states, generate about $528 million in annual revenue.
“In no sector of our economy is competition more important to Americans’ well-being than health care,” said Assistant Attorney General Abigail Slater of the Antitrust Division. “This settlement protects quality and price competition for hundreds of thousands of vulnerable patients, as well as wage competition for thousands of nurses. I commend our team for their dedicated work on behalf of seniors, hospice patients, nurses, and their families.”
Under the agreement, Amedisys will also pay a $1.1 million civil penalty for falsely certifying that it had submitted “true, correct, and complete” responses under the Hart-Scott-Rodino Antitrust Improvements Act of 1976.
The settlement terms include:
- Additional divestitures: UnitedHealth must divest eight more locations if it cannot secure regulatory approval for certain facilities without them.
- Independent monitoring: An appointed monitor will oversee the divestiture process and ensure compliance with the consent decree.
- Competitive safeguards: Buyers of the divested assets will receive the necessary resources—facilities, staff, and relationships—to compete with UnitedHealth in overlapping markets.
- Enforcement measures: Strong provisions will be in place to ensure adherence to the decree and prevent interference with buyers’ operations.
- Antitrust training: Amedisys must train corporate and field leaders on antitrust compliance.
In accordance with the Tunney Act, the proposed settlement and a competitive impact statement will be published in the Federal Register. Members of the public have 60 days from publication to submit comments to:
Jill Maguire, Acting Chief
Healthcare and Consumer Products Section
Antitrust Division, U.S. Department of Justice
450 Fifth Street NW, Suite 4100
Washington, DC 20530
