UnitedHealth-Change Healthcare merger completed

UnitedHealth Group has completed its merger with health care technology company Change Healthcare.

The multi-billion-dollar merger was completed Monday, at which time Change Healthcare finished combining with UnitedHealth's health services subsidiary, Optum, according to a press release from UnitedHealth. Change Healthcare requested that Nasdaq delist its stock from the exchange in a filing to the Securities and Exchange Commission on the same day.

The press release said that the merger will simplify the core clinical, administrative and payment processes that health care providers and payers depend on to serve patients. Change and UnitedHealth, which runs one of the largest health insurers in the country, announced plans to merge in January 2021.

The completion of the UnitedHealth-Change HealthcareUnitedHealth-Change Healthcare deal comes just two weeks after a district court judge denied the Department of Justice's DOJ request to halt the multi billion-dollar merger. The DOJ first sued in February, arguing that the companies combining would negatively impact competition in the health insurance and claims-processing technology markets.

Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter said in a Sept. 19 statement that the DOJ respectfully disagreed with the decision and was reviewing the opinion closely to evaluate the next steps. The district court judge who denied the DOJ's request to stop the merger ordered the two companies to divest the claims payment software business ClaimsXten to private equity firm TPG Capital.