News Briefs: Home Depot Appeals Settlement With BCBSA
The Home Depot, Inc. and two other employers — Topographic and Employee Services Inc. — have appealed a $2.67 billion settlement reached in connection with a class-action lawsuit against the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). The litigation, which has been ongoing since 2012, challenges Blues plans’ agreement to divide the country among the association’s 36 members and to restrict members’ ability to offer non-Blues products, alleging that constitutes anticompetitive behavior. The decision to appeal the settlement could delay the disbursement of funds as well as the changes expected to come about from the settlement, which could give Blues plans more freedom to collaborate and consolidate, experts told AIS Health in 2020. A federal judge signed off on the settlement in August.