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If you filed a valid claim in the Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement by the Nov. 5, 2021 deadline, you may receive a payment and put extra cash in your pocket as distributions continue.
The settlement administrator began issuing the first payments on May 11, 2026. Additional payments and reissues are distributed on a rolling basis, so claimants owed money may receive payments at different times.
Subscribers who filed claims have waited a long time because the legal fight, which began in 2013, faced appeals, court approvals, and administrative delays that extended the timeline. Here's what to know about whether you might receive a payment.
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What the antitrust lawsuit was about
The Blue Cross Blue Shield lawsuit alleged that more than 35 Blue Cross Blue Shield plans violated federal antitrust laws. The suit alleged that Blue Cross Blue Shield companies entered into agreements not to compete with each other for customers, including by capping the amount of unbranded health insurance that each company offered. The lawsuit alleged that the rules artificially inflated premiums and decreased the choices available to consumers for health insurance.
While the lawsuit ultimately reached a settlement, Blue Cross Blue Shield did not admit wrongdoing. The settlement was reached in October 2020, and a judge granted final approval in 2025.
How much was the settlement for?
The settlement totaled $2.67 billion. According to the settlement administrator, the net settlement fund available to the class is approximately $1.9 billion after deductions for attorneys' fees, administration expenses, and other costs.
In addition to the financial payout, the settlement requires Blue Cross Blue Shield to change how the business operates. The changes should help promote increased competition among the insurer's plans, which may help prevent inflated insurance plan costs.
Who's eligible to receive a payment
Two groups of people were included in the settlement class, but only those who submitted valid claims by the applicable deadline can receive a payment from the settlement fund.
The first group consists of individuals and insured groups who were covered by Blue Cross Blue Shield between Feb. 7, 2008, and Oct. 16, 2020. The second group consists of self-funded account customers who bought administrative services plans through Blue Cross Blue Shield between Sept. 1, 2015, and Oct. 16, 2020.
For the subscriber settlement, the deadline to file a claim was Nov. 5, 2021. That deadline has passed, so people who did not file by then cannot newly become eligible for a payment, even if they had qualifying coverage.
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How much could payments be
The settlement's net-to-class fund is approximately $1.9 billion, according to the settlement administrator. Payments are based on factors including how long the claimant was insured, how much was paid in premiums, and the type of plan involved.
Claimants whose calculated payment is $5 or less will not receive a payment.
Because so many factors affect payment amounts, it's impossible to estimate exactly how much you might receive. However, since about six million customers filed claims, dividing the $1.9 billion evenly would mean about $300 per person. Payments may ultimately be larger or smaller than $300.
When will payments arrive?
The settlement administrator began issuing the first payments to approved claimants on May 11, 2026. Payments are distributed in batches, so not everyone owed money will receive a payment at the same time.
Claimants have been receiving payment and claim-determination notices by email and mail, and the administrator continues to process and distribute payments. Depending on the claimant's payment election, payments may be delivered by paper check, prepaid debit card, or electronic payment.
If you filed a claim, monitor your email and mail for notices from the settlement administrator and follow the instructions provided. You can also check your claim status through the official settlement website. Because distributions are being made on a rolling basis, a claimant who has not received a payment yet should not assume that they are ineligible.
Additional distribution activity can continue after the initial payment rounds as the administrator completes the claims and payment process.
Additional Blue Cross Blue Shield lawsuits
This isn't the first class action lawsuit that Blue Cross Blue Shield has faced. In 2010, an antitrust class action lawsuit alleged that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan agreements with hospitals inflated the cost of health care services for direct purchasers. Allegedly, Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan entered into anticompetitive agreements with hospitals in Michigan; those agreements guaranteed that Blue Cross Blue Shield Michigan would receive rates that were at least as favorable as other insurers, inflating the reimbursement rates that rival health care insurers and their customers paid.
The resulting settlement required distributing $2.8 billion to affected hospitals and providers. It also required Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan to substantially change the way the plans conducted business, allowing greater competition between plans.
Changes prompted by the $2.67 billion settlement
The $2.67 billion Blue Cross Blue Shield antitrust settlement includes payments for affected customers, but its real value may lie in the required operational changes. When a few plans dominate the insurance market, competition declines, and prices may rise.
As part of the settlement, Blue Cross Blue Shield agreed to make changes to how it does business to increase opportunities for competition in the health insurance market.
Bottom line
If you filed a valid claim in the Blue Cross Blue Shield settlement by the Nov. 5, 2021 deadline, you may be entitled to a payment as distributions continue. The first payments began going out on May 11, 2026, and payments are being issued in batches.
Watch your email and mail for a notice from the settlement administrator, and follow the instructions provided. Keep in mind that claimants whose calculated payment is $5 or less will not receive a payment.
When buying health insurance, remember to shop around and carefully compare not only premiums, but also coverage, deductible, out-of-pocket maximum, and other key factors. Doing so may help you keep more cash in your wallet while getting the best deal on the coverage you need.
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