New York Attorney General Letitia James joined the attorneys general of Illinois, Maryland, and New Jersey in settling a lawsuit over the proposed United Healthcare and Amedisys merger which could have threatened the quality of critical health care services for millions of seniors and others by eliminating competition among providers. As a result of the lawsuit, United and Amedisys must now sell home health and hospice care facilities to other providers in affected states before merging to prevent an unfair monopoly and preserve competition that helps vulnerable patients access high-quality, low-cost services. 

“When big corporations dominate our health care markets, they can cut services and raise prices without fear of losing money, putting New Yorkers in need at serious risk,” said Attorney General James. “Fair competition helps ensure that New Yorkers can get affordable, quality health care wherever they live. Seniors and other vulnerable New Yorkers’ lives depend on access to quality home care services, and today we are preventing United and Amedisys from jeopardizing those services.”