News Briefs
✦ UnitedHealth Group will acquire fellow Minnesota-based health plan PreferredOne from University of Minnesota-affiliated provider Fairview Health Services, according to the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. UnitedHealth will take on nearly 280,000 members, according to AIS Health’s Directory of Health Plans. PreferredOne’s main emphasis is on the self-funded employer market, with approximately 230,000 lives enrolled in that book. Terms were not disclosed, though the Star-Tribune reported that “the financial impact from the sale [to Fairview] is ‘north of $100 million.’”
✦ The Dept. of Justice on Aug. 7 forged a timing agreement with UnitedHealth and Change Healthcare Inc., indicating how long the investigation into their proposed transaction will last. The two firms will file additional information with DOJ, and they have also agreed not to complete the transaction before Jan. 13, 2022 — unless DOJ concludes its investigation and authorizes the deal before then. The agreement came amid ongoing rumors that DOJ would sue to block the deal.
