Hospitals, doctors and other health providers claimed the insurer underpaid them and increased cost of insurance nationwide

US insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield has agreed to pay $2.8bn 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 recently.

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 to make operational changes to “put years of litigation behind us”.