美国央行表示，司法部针对联合健康的案件可能需要数年时间才能解决

BofA Securities said an antitrust case brought by the US Department of Justice against UnitedHealth Group (NYSE:UNH) would likely take years to resolve.

The investment bank said that it recently discussed the matter with a former long-time DOJ antitrust attorney, who said the department could be pursuing a monopolization case against the healthcare company. It noted that such cases have become more common, citing investigations into Apple (AAPL), Google (GOOG), Amazon (AMZN), Visa (V) and Live Nation (LYV).

The former DOJ lawyer said UNH could still be in the discovery stage, and it could take up to five years for the case to be filed. If UNH opted not to settle, the litigation could take years to resolve, depending on the complexity of the case. During that time, the DOJ would not be commenting. However, the company could disclose details and there could be press articles from time to time.

Resolutions for the case could include “structural” remedies, such as blocking specific mergers like the one with Amedisys (NASDAQ:AMED), forcing divestitures, or the spinning out of UNH’s Optum division. Other possible remedies would be “behavioral,” such as barring UNH from utilizing certain trade practices, the lawyer said.

The lawyer added that if Trump were to win re-election, the case might be “approached differently.” He added that the Biden administration tends to prefer structural over behavioral remedies, which “take longer to implement and are less effective" than structural ones.

BofA maintained its buy rating on the stock.