Lifepoint Corporate Services — affiliated with Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health — joined multi-district litigation by providers against MultiPlan, now Claritev, and insurers for allegedly driving underpayments.
Lifepoint’s complaint, filed June 2 in an Illinois federal court, targets Aetna, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, BCBS Minnesota, Cigna, Elevance Health, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Allied National, Central States Southeast and Southwest Areas Health and Welfare Fund, CareFirst of Maryland, BCBS Massachusetts, and Health Net of California.
Lifepoint alleged an “anticompetitive scheme to suppress out-of-network reimbursement rates,” with insurers relying on MultiPlan’s repricing services. The damages window spans Oct. 1, 2024, through Sept. 30, 2025, and the system claimed at least “tens of millions of dollars” in damages.
The complaint accuses MultiPlan and the insurers of violating the Sherman Antitrust Act. Lifepoint requested a jury trial, along with compensatory, treble and punitive damages and disgorgement.
“The allegations misunderstand Claritev’s role and solutions. Claritev is not a health insurer, does not assume insurance risk, does not set out-of-network reimbursement rates and does not make final payment or coverage decisions for clients,” a Claritev spokesperson told Becker’s June 5. “Our solutions are designed to support independent client decision-making — not fix prices, coordinate client behavior or replace client judgment. We strongly disagree with the allegations and will continue to respond through the legal process.”
MultiPlan recently confirmed the Justice Department had issued the company a confidential grand jury subpoena in 2024.
Becker’s contacted the involved insurers and will update this story if more information becomes available.
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