Justice Department sues UnitedHealth over nearly $8B deal

By TOM MURPHY
AP Health Writer

Federal regulators are suing to block UnitedHealth Group’s purchase of the technology company Change Healthcare, a deal announced more than a year ago. The U.S. Department of Justice said Thursday that the proposed deal would hurt competition in markets for health insurance and technology used by insurers to process claims and cut costs. UnitedHealth said in January 2021 that it would spend nearly $8 billion in cash to add the company and boost its ability to provide data analytics and revenue cycle management support, among other offerings. A UnitedHealth spokesman said the company would defend its case vigorously.