The U.S. Department of Justice is weighing a possible lawsuit to block UnitedHealth’s $8 billion purchase of health care analytics and technology vendor Change Healthcare, according to people familiar with the matter. If the DOJ proceeds with litigation, it would be the latest sign that the Biden administration is aggressively pursuing antitrust enforcement.
The DOJ in recent weeks has reached out to private attorneys outside the department about possibly leading the litigation to block the deal, one of the people familiar with the matter said. The deal, announced in January, has drawn opposition from the American Hospital Association, a hospital industry lobbying group, as well as competing insurers.