Blue Cross Blue Shield settles US health provider class action for $2.8 billion

(Reuters) -Insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield has agreed to pay $2.8 billion to resolve antitrust class action claims by hospital systems, physicians and other health providers alleging they were underpaid for reimbursements, the plaintiffs said in an Alabama federal court filing on Monday. The settlement is the largest ever for a healthcare antitrust case, they added. Blue Cross Blue Shield denied the allegations in a statement, but said it agreed to the settlement and make operational changes to "put years of litigation behind us."