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UnitedHealth Group, one of the largest and most diversified health insurance companies in the United States, said on Monday that it planned to buy Surgical Care Affiliates, a chain of outpatient surgery centers, for about $2.3 billion. The deal is expected to close in the first half of 2017. (Abelson, 1/9)

The deal, for a mixture of cash and stock, substantially expands the health-care provider footprint of UnitedHealth, which is already the parent of the biggest U.S. health insurer, UnitedHealthcare. The acquisition represents a continued bet on physician services at a time when Republicans’ plans to unwind the Affordable Care Act have created uncertainty for many health-care providers, particularly hospitals, which potentially stand to see a drop-off in insured, paying patients. (Wilde Mathews, 1/9)

In an effort to fulfill its mission to expand its provider footprint to serve about two-thirds of the U.S. population, OptumCare has agreed to acquire Surgical Care Affiliates for about $2.3 billion in a cash and stock deal. Deerfield, Ill.-based SCA owns or operates 190 ambulatory surgery centers and surgical hospitals, most as joint ventures with physicians and health systems. The company says SCA and its affiliates serve approximately 1 million patients per year in more than 30 states. In 2015, it had operating revenue of around $1.1 billion. (1/9)

The U.S.’s biggest health insurer, UnitedHealth Group Inc., will buy Surgical Care Affiliates Inc. for about $2.3 billion, adding an outpatient surgery chain to its growing health care-delivery business. UnitedHealth will pay $57 a share, with with 51 percent to 80 percent of that in stock and the rest in cash, the companies said in a statement. The price is a 17 percent premium to Surgical Care’s closing value Friday. The two companies previously worked together as partners. (Tracer, 1/9)