ALEXANDRIA, Va. – The National Community Pharmacists Association on Monday released the following statement on behalf of CEO B. Douglas Hoey in response to a federal court ruling clearing the way for insurance giant UnitedHealthcare to acquire medical data firm Change Healthcare:

B. Douglas Hoey

“We would like to thank the Department of Justice for meeting with us, listening to our concerns, and fighting to block two dominant companies from becoming even more dominant. We are deeply disappointed in Judge Carl Nichols’ decision, which we believe will ultimately lead to less competition and consumer harm in the form of patient steering, less access, and higher costs.

“With its insurance business, its pharmacy benefit manager business, and its mail-order pharmacy business, UnitedHealthcare is already a three-headed dragon and one of the worst actors in the market. The acquisition of the Change Healthcare will give it a massive advantage over its competitors, and it will create an irresistible incentive for the insurance company to use patient data to steer business to its own pharmacy, and away from local, small-business pharmacies.”

NCPA has been fighting the merger since last year. Visit the NCPA Legal Center to learn more about its efforts.