UnitedHealth Group Announces Acquisition of Home Health Care Company LHC Group
Mar 29, 2022 By MarketDepth
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) announced that it would be acquiring home health care company LHC Group, for a total of USD5.4 Billion. The health insurer stated that it would add LHC Group to its Optum Health business, which handles primary care clinics and surgery centers.
“LHC Group’s sophisticated care coordination capabilities and it’s warm, human touch is so important for home care, and will greatly enhance the reach of Optum’s value-based capabilities along the full continuum of care, including primary care, home and community care, virtual care, behavioral health and ambulatory surgery.”
Dr. Wyatt Decker, the chief executive at Optum Health
Health insurers as well as other payers have been boosting home-based care within the past few years, a trend incentivized by the Covid-19 pandemic. Furthermore, the advance in technology has also facilitated more at-home care.
“This trend has really only just begun, of how much care can truly be delivered in the home. We can give care in the home, which is a lower-cost setting … than nursing homes or more advanced care facilities.”
Optum Health CEO Wyatt Decker
The deal is subject to the approval of both regulators and LHC Group shareholders. LHC shares rose 7% during premarket trading.