Payers are expanding their reach into home healthcare.
In October, Elevance Health said it plans to acquire CareBridge, a Nashville-based home and community care provider. Elevance will pay $2.7 billion for the company, according to the Nashville Business Journal.
Elevance CEO Gail Boudreaux told investors on an Oct. 17 call the acquisition will serve as the foundation for Carelon's home health business.
Here are five more things to know about payers' ventures into home health:
- UnitedHealthcare is planning to acquire Amedisys, which provides home health, hospice and high-acuity care in 37 states. Regulators have yet to approve the deal and could choose to block it. In 2023, UnitedHealth acquired LHC Group, a home health provider with more than 900 locations. If UnitedHealth acquires Amedisys, it will own 10% of the home health market.
- Humana operates CenterWell Home Health. Humana's older adult-focused provider arm operates more than 360 home health locations in 38 states. In 2023, the company said it would expand into in-home primary care in several states.
- In 2023, CVS Health acquired home health provider Signify Health for $8 billion. The company won a bidding war for Signify over UnitedHealth Group, Amazon and Option Care Health. Signify Health has more than 10,000 clinicians.
- Evernorth, Cigna's health services arm, offers home health services with a staff of more than 430. In January, Cigna CEO David Cordani said home health was one area where it would focus on future acquisitions.
- In 2021, Centene sold its majority stake in home-based primary care provider U.S. Medical Management. Centene retained a minority stake in the company.