UnitedHealth Group Vows To Fight DOJ Challenge Of Optum’s Change Healthcare Deal

UnitedHealth Group Thursday outlined advantages of its Optum unit’s proposed $13 billion acquisition of the software program and knowledge analytics agency Change Healthcare in response to the U.S. Justice Division’s problem of the deal.

The justice department last month sued in federal court to dam UnitedHealth’s effort to purchase Change, basically saying UnitedHealth, which owns the nation’s largest well being insurer, would get entry to delicate healthcare price and pricing knowledge on rivals. That, authorities legal professionals argue, can be unfair and harm competitors.

“High quality medical health insurance must be accessible to all Individuals,” U.S. Legal professional Normal Merrick Garland mentioned final month. “If America’s largest well being insurer is permitted to accumulate a significant rival for crucial well being care claims applied sciences, it’s going to undermine competitors for medical health insurance and stifle innovation within the employer medical health insurance markets. The Justice Division is dedicated to difficult anticompetitive mergers, notably these on the intersection of well being care and knowledge.”

However UnitedHealth fought again with a submitting on Thursday, saying the deal would make healthcare transactions easier and profit customers.

“With the distinct and complementary capabilities and expertise of Change Healthcare, Optum will advance anew and extra trendy basis to help the following technology well being system,” UnitedHealth mentioned in its statement and filing posted on its web site. “Our frictionless platform will assist sufferers get a simplified client expertise, decrease prices, and get higher point-of-care supply on account of improved adherence to greatest medical proof.”

Optum, a fast-growing a part of UnitedHealth Group and a key motive the corporate has surpassed $300 billion in annual revenues, has mentioned Change Healthcare will grow to be part of the OptumInsight enterprise “to supply software program and knowledge analytics, technology-enabled providers and analysis, advisory and income cycle administration choices to assist make well being care work higher for everybody.”

In its submitting on Thursday, UnitedHealth mentioned the mix “scale back the estimated $267 billion the U.S. well being care trade wastes yearly on merely guaranteeing that well being care suppliers submit legitimate and correctly documented claims and that insurers pay the right amount for the providers offered.”

Additional, UnitedHealth mentioned the mix with Change will enhance well being outcomes and reduce denials of healthcare claims.

“The theories of aggressive hurt superior by the Division of Justice (DOJ) haven’t any foundation in truth or regulation, and don’t present any foundation for blocking what’s clearly a pro-competitive, pro-consumer transaction,” UnitedHealth Group mentioned.

Introduced in January of final 12 months, the Change acquisition was seen as a transfer by UnitedHealth and Optum to bolster the corporate’s efforts to enhance well being outcomes and inhabitants well being.

Whereas UnitedHealth continues to be the nation’s largest medical health insurance firm, promoting industrial, Medicaid and Medicare Benefit plans, it’s discovering progress on the medical care supplier facet of the healthcare system. Optum owns one of many nation’s largest pharmacy profit managers in OptumRx in addition to an array of medical care supplier companies, together with physician practices, surgical procedure facilities and pressing care websites throughout the nation.