UnitedHealth to Face U.S. Lawsuit to Block Change Deal

  • DOJ says combination would let health giant co-opt rivals
  • Case is latest move by antitrust enforcers to stop dealmaking
Photographer: Tiffany Hagler-Geard/Bloomberg
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The U.S. Justice Department sued to block UnitedHealth Group Inc.’s proposed $7.8 billion purchase of Change Healthcare Inc., arguing that the combination could limit competition among businesses that move money through the health-care system.

The department filed a complaint against the takeover in federal court in Washington Thursday, arguing that the purchase would give UnitedHealth access to vast amounts of competitively sensitive data about rivals.