Battle to Dominate At-Home Care Could Shape Senior Living Market and Brookdale’s Future

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I recently wrote about the senior living implications of Option Care’s planned acquisition of home health giant Amedisys (Nasdaq: AMED). The situation became even more interesting last week, with UnitedHealth Group’s Optum arm making an all-cash play for Amedisys.This news makes it more evident than ever that senior living providers must have business strategies that take into account how the home health care landscape is being reshaped, largely by huge insurance companies that are battling for scale in the market.

These insurers certainly see senior living communities as homes for older adults, and I believe senior living providers will be drawn into the contest that is currently hottest in the home health and private duty sector, as the so-called “payviders” will seek to exert more control over how care and services are delivered in senior housing settings.