AHA urges strict antitrust review of UnitedHealth’s $13B Change buy
3/19/2021
Dive Brief:
- The nation’s most powerful hospital lobby is pushing antitrust regulators to go over UnitedHealth Group’s bid to acquire data analytics company Change Healthcare with a fine-tooth comb, alleging the sale could reduce competition for health IT services to providers.
- The American Hospital Association urged federal regulators to give the $13 billion acquisition a stringent review in a letter sent the Department of Justice’s Antitrust Division on Wednesday.AHA argued the deal would result in a major consolidation of health data with oversight shifting from Change to UnitedHealth subsidiary Optum, whose parent company owns the largest private payer in the U.S., UnitedHealthcare. That could distort decisions about patient care, claims processing and denials, benefiting UnitedHealthcare at the expense of hospitals, AHA said.
- UnitedHealth declined to comment directly on anticompetitive concerns on Friday, though an Optum spokesperson argued the two companies have “distinct and complementary capabilities.” DOJ and the Federal Trade Commission have until March 24 to decide whether to let the deal go through or subject it to additional scrutiny.
