Baton Rouge-based Amedisys and UnitedHealth have agreed to extend the deadline to close their proposed $3.3 billion merger agreement to next year, according to a Friday filing, Reuters reports. The extension comes a little more than a month after the Justice Department and three states filed to block the deal, citing concerns that the combination would hinder access to home health and hospice services in the U.S. The new waiver agreement extends the merger deadline to 10 days after a final court decision is issued in the lawsuit or Dec. 31, 2025, whichever is earlier, the filing states. Shares of Amedisys rose 3.5% in premarket trading. UnitedHealth announced in early summer 2023 that it would acquire home health and hospice caregiver Amedisys. Analysts, however, anticipated regulatory scrutiny due to the health care conglomerate’s presence in the home health sector. Read the full story.