RICHMOND, Va. -- Bon Secours announced Monday that they have filed a $93 million lawsuit against Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, citing a failure to pay claims on a timely basis as reasoning for the suit.
The lawsuit, which was filed in Henrico County, says Bon Secours it has tried for nearly four years to address Anthem's failure to pay claims, which, according to Bon Secours, was met with denial and no results on the part of Anthem.
Bon Secours also stated in the suit that Anthem's failures to pay are not central to Virginia and that the insurance company has allegedly also owed Bon Secours over $90 million in unpaid claims in Ohio and Kentucky.
According to Bon Secours, an agreement between Bon Secours and Anthem stated a payment timeframe between 30 and 60 days. Bon Secours alleges Anthem has not followed this timeframe and now owes years of payment toward unpaid claims.
Anthem released the following statement regarding the recent lawsuit:
This lawsuit is another attempt to distract from Bon Secours' decision to leave Anthem’s provider network and deny access to care for Medicaid and Medicare Advantage members. We do not agree with the allegations stated in the lawsuit.
This is the latest tactic in their efforts to demand double digit price increases from employers and individuals - in the middle of an active contract with Anthem. With these actions, they are closing off opportunities to work collaboratively, despite numerous requests to refocus the discussion and reach a solution.
As recently as last Thursday, we reached out to Mercy Health national leadership for a meeting and Friday to Bon Secours’ Virginia leadership requesting that they rescind the Medicare Advantage termination and intent to terminate Medicaid access on 10/1/23. We have not heard back. We urge Bon Secours to engage in productive discussions instead of these unproductive tactics that continue to spread misinformation and put vulnerable populations at risk.
This is a developing story, so anyone with more information can email newstips@wtvr.com to send a tip.
SHARE on social media to SPREAD the WORD!
