FTC Will Take a Closer Look at UnitedHealth-LHC Deal

  • Jun 17, 2022

    The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on June 10 made a formal request for information to UnitedHealth Group regarding the integrated health care giant’s announced purchase of LHC Group, Inc., a home health care provider, which could be an indication that the antitrust watchdog will move to block the deal. Experts tell AIS Health, a division of MMIT, that it’s not a certainty that the FTC will take such an action, given the fragmented nature of the home health care industry, but add that UnitedHealth’s singular size and diversification exposes the firm to higher antitrust scrutiny than other national health insurance or provider firms.

    UnitedHealth announced its plans to acquire LHC in April, saying it would spend about $6 billion to purchase the provider and amortize some of its debt. The health care giant revealed the FTC’s request for information in a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. UnitedHealth has acquired dozens of smaller companies in recent years — and antitrust regulators have begun to pay closer attention as its spending sp

    Read more
    © 2024 MMIT
  • Peter Johnson

    Peter has worked as a journalist since 2011 and has covered health care since 2020. At AIS Health, Peter covers trends in finance, business and policy that affect the health insurance and pharma sectors. For Health Plan Weekly, he covers all aspects of the U.S. health insurance sector, including employer-sponsored insurance, Medicaid managed care, Medicare Advantage and the Affordable Care Act individual marketplaces. In Radar on Drug Benefits, Peter covers the operations of (and conflicts between) pharmacy benefit managers and pharmaceutical manufacturers, with a particular focus on pricing dynamics and market access. Before joining AIS Health, Peter covered transportation, public safety and local government for various outlets in Seattle, his hometown and current place of residence. He graduated with a B.A. from Colby College.

The Latest
Meet Our Reporters

Meet Our Reporters

×