What We’re Reading: UnitedHealth to Buy LHC; Second COVID-19 Booster Approved; Pediatric Asthma Disparities

UnitedHealth Announces Plan to Purchase LHC Group for $5.4 Billion

UnitedHealth Group will buy LHC Group for about $5.4 billion as part of its home health care expansion plan. As reported by Reuters, this purchase will combine LHC’s at-home services that primarily provide health care for older adults with chronic conditions and injuries with UnitedHealth’s Optum unit, which offers health care data analytics services and manages drug benefits. News of this deal come a month after the US Justice Department sued to block UnitedHealth from purchasing Change Healthcare for $8 billion for access to competitors’ billing data.

FDA Approves Second COVID-19 Booster for Adults Aged 50 and Older

The FDA approved a second COVID-19 booster dose for adults aged 50 and older in the United States, STAT News reported. According to the FDA, eligible adults can receive either the Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna mRNA vaccine 4 months after their last dose. The CDC added that individuals who received the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) single dose primary series as well as a J&J booster at least 4 months ago can also receive a second mRNA booster, but a third J&J dose has not been approved.

Study Finds Racial, Ethnic Disparities in Pediatric Acute Asthma Care

A National Institutes of Health study found differing patterns of community health center (CHC) and emergency department (ED) visits among White, Black, and Latino or Hispanic children with asthma. Black children with asthma were less likely to visit CHCs, but had higher odds and rates of asthma-related ED visits, compared with White children. Additionally, Latino children who spoke either English or Spanish were more likely to visit CHCs for acute, chronic, and preventive care, compared with White children. The researchers said economic gaps play a role in health disparities, but they also said factors such as structural racism may have also impacted the findings.