Three payer acquisition deals have come under scrutiny by state or federal officials in August:
1. Public hearings on Elevance Health's proposed acquisition of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana have been moved from Aug. 21-22 to Oct. 5-6. BCBS asked for more time to respond to concerns raised in independent reports commissioned by the state's insurance department. Three Louisiana state senators and the attorney general called for a delay of the sale following the release of those reports.
2. Insurance regulators in Vermont have rolled out two separate review processes for the proposed affiliation between Blue Cross Blue Shield of Vermont and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan. Pending regulatory approvals, Berlin-based BCBS Vermont would become a subsidiary of Detroit-based BCBS Michigan, but all governance, operational and policy decisions would still be made locally. BCBS Vermont would also retain its name, executive leadership and headquarters.
3. Optum's proposed $3.29 billion acquisition of home health provider Amedisys is facing scrutiny from the Justice Department. Amedisys said it received a request from the Justice Department for additional information about the proposed merger Aug. 4, extending the waiting period for the deal under federal law.