UnitedHealth, Amedisys Reach Tentative Merger Deal With DOJ (1)

UnitedHealth Group Inc. and home health and hospice care company Amedisys Inc. have reached a proposed a settlement with the US Justice Department in a lawsuit that challenged the companies’ $3.3 billion deal.

The tentative settlement requires the companies to divest at least 164 home health and hospice facilities, according to a statement from the DOJ. It would require Amedisys to pay a $1.1 million civil penalty for “falsely certifying” that it had properly responded to requests from antitrust regulators, the agency said.

The proposed settlement clears the way for the deal to go through, avoiding an antitrust trial that ...