Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) blamed President Donald Trump‘s administration for letting UnitedHealth Group Inc. (NYSE:UNH) buy Amedisys Inc. for $3.3 billion, arguing it gives the insurer more power to raise costs and deny care.
Concerns Over UNH’s Control Over Patient Care
Warren said UnitedHealth already sells insurance, employs doctors and manages prescriptions, and the Amedisys deal gives it a bigger share of patient care.
“We need to break up Big Medicine,” she said in a post on X Sunday, blaming the Department of Justice (DOJ) under Trump for allowing the deal that would give the companies “MORE power to raise costs and deny care.”
The senator has been campaigning to break up vertically integrated healthcare companies, which she said would raise costs for patients by putting insurance, pharmacy, and care under one roof.
DOJ Sued, Then Settled
The DOJ sued to block the deal in November 2024, then reached a proposed settlement in August 2025 that was approved by the court in December 2025. It required UnitedHealth and Amedisys to sell 164 home health and hospice locations in 19 states that brought in about $528 million a year.
Amedisys also paid a $1.1 million civil penalty for giving regulators inaccurate information during the antitrust review, and a monitor was appointed to oversee the sales.
Bill Would Force Divestitures
Warren co-sponsored the Patients Before Monopolies Act (S. 4509) with Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.), reintroduced in May after first launching in 2024.
The bill would prohibit PBMs and pharmacies from being under common ownership and require affected companies to divest their pharmacy assets within a year.
Billionaire Mark Cuban has made a similar critique, accusing vertically integrated healthcare companies of exploiting employers’ reluctance to change.
Price Action: On Friday, UnitedHealth’s shares closed 0.96% lower at $406.97 and lost 0.08% to $406.60 in premarket trading on Monday, according to Yahoo Finance.
Benzinga Edge rankings indicate UnitedHealth’s stock has a Momentum score in the 75th percentile and a Growth score in the 19th percentile.
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Disclaimer: This content was partially produced with the help of AI tools and was reviewed and published by Benzinga editors.
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