UH does a lot of acquisition, with consolidation within and among healthcare entities shrinking the number of players and making them bigger (and meaner or only as greedy but larger at it?).
UH saying the judge's decision will be appealed and is wrong-headed; that statement made via lawyers. As trustworthy as if made by UH executives themselves.
That shrunken pool, UH executives. Free Luigi.
___________UPDATE___________
The link at the start added days later -
UnitedHealth Group is asking a judge to toss the federal government’s primary argument in its challenge to the Eden Prairie-based company’s proposed $3.3 billion acquisition of Amedisys, a home care and hospice company headquartered in Louisiana.
When the Justice Department sued in November to block the deal, the complaint alleged harm to competition in local health care markets across the country, but did not specify the exact geographic boundaries of the markets at issue, according to a motion to dismiss filed this month by both companies.
UnitedHealth says its Optum health services division and Amedisys operate in 37 and 40 states, respectively, but together account for just 12% of home health visits and 5% of hospice visits nationwide.
The Justice Department, along with attorneys general in Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey and New York, argue the merger would harm patients and labor markets by significantly reducing competition, since the companies are two of the largest home health and hospice providers in the U.S.
“Plaintiffs' complaint violates a core pleading requirement of any antitrust case: it fails to allege clearly defined relevant geographic areas where plaintiffs contend competition will be substantially lessened ...,” UnitedHealth Group said in the motion to dismiss. “Failure to allege where competition will be affected, or identify principles for determining where competition occurs, is a fundamental deficiency that requires dismissal.”
Merge to be bigger, give the U.S. Government a "fuck you" and out-lawyer them or at least try to. How to run an over-greedy monster firm. Lesson in bad citizenship for profit, and wealth accumulation of upper management unless and until they get shot dead in their greedy customer-unfriendly tracks. Free Luigi.