The Biden administration in recent weeks has launched an antitrust investigation into the health care giant UnitedHealth Group following a string of other antitrust suits by the federal government, according to The Wall Street Journal.
The investigation from the Department of Justice (DOJ) is looking into whether the relationship between UnitedHealth’s insurance unit and the company’s health services arm, Optum, is stifling competition in the broader industry, according to people who spoke to the WSJ. The news of the investigation comes just one day after the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) announced a lawsuit seeking to block the merger of Kroger and Albertsons, continuing the string of antitrust actions taken by both the FTC and the DOJ.