UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys dropped their request to dismiss a government antitrust lawsuit over the insurer's proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of the home health provider.
In a filing Wednesday to the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland, UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys said the Justice Department disclosed which counties it alleges would experience reduced competition under the deal, making the motion to dismiss the lawsuit at a preliminary stage moot.
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The companies said they would prepare for an expedited trial.
Neither UnitedHealth Group nor the Justice Department responded to a request for comment on the specific counties the government identified.
The Biden administration sued the two companies last fall, alleging the combined companies would stifle competition in the home health and hospice industries. But UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys filed a motion last month alleging the Justice Department violated a core requirement of any antitrust case by failing to define which specific regions would be severely impacted by UnitedHealth Group’s acquisition of Amedisys.
UnitedHealth Group operates in 37 states through its LHC Group home health and hospice subsidiary. Baton Rouge, Louisiana-based Amedisys provides home health and hospice services in 40 states. The companies said in the motion to dismiss that if combined, they would account for only 12% of home health visits and 5% of hospice visits nationwide.
UnitedHealth Group and Amedisys agreed on the all-cash deal in June 2023, after Amedisys rejected a $3.6 billion all-cash deal by infusion company Option Care Health.
