Home health company Amedisys on Monday announced it has agreed to be purchased by UnitedHealth Group* (UHG) subsidiary Optum in an all-cash deal for around $3.3 billion, in today's bite-sized hospital and health industry news from the District of Columbia, Minnesota, and New York.

• District of Columbia: President Joe Biden on Friday signed an EO aimed at protecting and expanding access to birth control in response to rising abortion restrictions across numerous states. The EO instructs the Department of Treasury, Department of Labor, and HHS to ensure private health insurers cover FDA-approved contraceptives, as mandated by the Affordable Care Act. The EO also seeks to broaden access to affordable over-the-counter contraceptives, enhance contraceptive coverage for Medicare beneficiaries, and encourages the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Office of Personnel Management to consider actions that would improve access to birth control for veterans and federal employees. (Constantino, CNBC, 6/23)
• Minnesota: Home health company Amedisys on Monday announced it has agreed to be purchased by UHG* subsidiary Optum in an all-cash deal for around $3.3 billion. Amedisys will become a wholly owned subsidiary of UHG once the transaction is finalized. Amedisys previously signed a preliminary agreement with Option Care, but Option Care will likely "bow out" and receive a deal termination fee, STAT+ reports. Paul Kusserow, chair and former CEO of Amedisys, said the UHG deal "gives us the opportunity to continue to significantly innovate driving care into the home with a like-minded partner who brings a set of unique and additive capabilities to the table." (Seal/Mathews, Wall Street Journal, 6/26; Herman, STAT+ [subscription required], 6/26)
• New York: The New York state legislature passed a bill preventing hospitals and other healthcare providers from reporting medical debt to credit agencies, aimed at reducing the financial impact of illness and injury on individuals. If the bill is signed by Gov. Kathy Hochul (D), New York will become the second state, after Colorado, to enact such a law. National credit reporting agencies previously decided not to report medical debts under $500, but further protection is deemed necessary by advocates. The legislation would affect approximately 740,000 adult New Yorkers and their families who had medical debt in collections as of February 2022. (Khan, Associated Press, 6/21)

*Advisory Board is a subsidiary of Optum, a division of UnitedHealth Group. All Advisory Board research, expert perspectives, and recommendations remain independent.