Blue Cross Blue Shield Gets Final Approval of $2.8 Billion Deal

Blue Cross Blue Shield gained final approval of a $2.8 billion class action antitrust settlement, putting to rest claims by doctors, hospitals, and other health-care providers that the insurer shortchanged them on reimbursements.

The deal provides “historic, transformative, procompetitive injunctive and equitable relief that will greatly benefit the Settlement Class Members,” Judge R. David Proctor of the US District Court for the Northern District of Alabama said in a Tuesday order that also approved $657.2 million in plaintiffs’ attorneys fees.

The deal is one of the largest ever in a US health-care antitrust case, resolving litigation that started more than a decade ago when subscribers first accused BCBS and its affiliates of illegally dividing the US health insurance market into regional areas to avoid competing with one another.

Dozens of cases were consolidated in the Northern District of Alabama.

In addition to monetary relief, BCBS agreed to upgrade its technical systems to make claims information more readily available to providers, establish a monitoring committee to oversee settlement compliance and address class member grievances, and make other changes to its programs.

The deal doesn’t cover opt-out plaintiffs that decided to pursue their claims separately.

BCBS is represented by firms including Cravath, Swaine & Moore LLP. The plaintiffs are represented by firms including Whatley Kallas LLP and Simons & Associates Law PA.

The case is In re Blue Cross Blue Shield Antitrust Litig., N.D. Ala., 8/19/25.