UnitedHealth Group on Monday made a surprise $3.26 billion all-cash offer to acquire Amedisys Inc., pitting itself against another healthcare company set to buy the home health and hospice care firm.
Interest in the home health sector has jumped since the pandemic as patients and caregivers increasingly prefer accessing medical services from the safety of their homes.
UnitedHealth, through its Optum unit, offered to pay $100 per share in cash, just a month after Amedisys agreed to be bought by Option Care Health Inc. for $97.38 per share in an all-stock deal.
If Optum’s offer is accepted by Amedisys, the deal will expand UnitedHealth’s presence in home healthcare that it bolstered this year through a $5.4 billion deal to buy Amedisys’ rival, LHC Group….