HCA Hospitals Sue Anthem Georgia Over Claim Denials
Seven HCA-affiliated hospitals filed suit Oct. 5 against Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Georgia, an Elevance Health plan, alleging more than $501,000 in underpaid or wrongfully denied claims, including emergency and post-stabilization care authorizations denied for lack of medical necessity. The complaint is one of several recent HCA-affiliated hospital lawsuits against out-of-state Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, following a September suit against Independence Blue Cross alleging at least $345,000 owed to Texas hospitals; both cases involve the same plaintiff hospital and law firm and center on insurers' obligations under the BlueCard reciprocal network program. A separate February 2025 HCA lawsuit against UnitedHealthcare over $145 million in alleged emergency-care underpayments was dismissed without prejudice earlier this year. The disputes reflect a broader pattern of hospital systems, including Jefferson Health and the California Hospital Association, litigating reimbursement and network-status disputes with major insurers.