Alere Health, a unit of Waltham-based Alere Inc. that provides well-being services in areas like tobacco cessation and home obstetrics, agreed to be acquired by Optum, a health services arm of the insurer UnitedHealth Group, for $600 million in cash.
The parties said Alere Health’s health management capabilities will strengthen the services Optum provides to customers, which include employers and states.
Alere Health sells its services to more than 200 regional and local health plans, scores of large employers, and 29 states, reaching about 22 million people. The proposed deal does not require the approval of Alere Inc. shareholders.
On Tuesday, Alere Inc., a leader in rapid diagnostics tests, named Namal Nawana as chief executive. Nawana joined the company two years ago as chief operating officer and was named interim CEO in July.
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Robert Weisman can be reached at robert.weisman@globe.com. Follow him on Twitter @GlobeRobW.