Assistant Attorney General Jonathan Kanter of the Justice Department’s Antitrust Division released the following statement after UnitedHealth Group abandoned its proposed acquisitions of Stewardship Health Inc. and a related company following scrutiny from the Antitrust Division.

“When you ask Americans what keeps them up at night, affording and accessing quality health care is too often at the top of their list. These transactions are among UnitedHealth Group’s latest proposed provider-related acquisitions, and they raised questions about quality of care, cost of care and working conditions for doctors, nurses and other healthcare providers. I am grateful for the Antitrust Division’s lawyers, economists, paralegals and professional staff who are tireless in their commitment to identify and address pressing antitrust problems in healthcare markets.”