Thursday, February 11, 2021
Marisa E. Poncia
Despite initial obstacles because of the COVID-19 pandemic, 2020 rounded out to be the busiest year for mergers and acquisitions (M&A) enforcement in the United States in nearly two decades. In the fourth quarter, US agencies challenged five transactions. November 2020 saw the most premerger filings in any month since 2001. Mergers and filings in the United States are predicted to remain at high levels into the new year in light of the current economic climate. The antitrust agencies have continued to maintain that their evaluation and investigation of anticompetitive harm will remain rigorous despite the uncertain times.
Tufts Health Plan to sell part of business to seal Harvard Pilgrim merger
Modern Healthcare Illustration / Getty Images
The proposed merger between Massachusetts-based health insurers Harvard Pilgrim Health Care and Tufts Health Plan is likely to close early next year after Tufts agreed to divest its commercial health insurance business in New Hampshire.
The U.S. Justice Department s antitrust division and New Hampshire s attorney general filed a lawsuit Monday to block the proposed merger unless the parties agreed to resolve potential competitive harm by selling Tufts Health Freedom Plan to UnitedHealth Group. Tufts said it has agreed to do so.