Department of Justice Prepares Suit to Block Change Acquisition by UnitedHealth

The Department of Justice has begun preparations to file suit against UnitedHealth to block their planned acquisition of Change Healthcare, a healthcare IT service provider. The $8 billion deal has been scrutinized due to antitrust concerns that UnitedHealth could block its insurance competitors from Change’s IT services.

According to Rebecca Pifer of Healthcare Dive, “The government has been more active on antitrust cases of late, following criticisms that the DOJ and Federal Trade Commission aren’t doing enough to stifle anticompetitive practices and deals. The FTC has said it might even begin unwinding combinations even after the companies consummate the deal, due to a merger backlog.”

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(Source: Healthcare Dive, February 16^th, 2022)