MultiPlan, now rebranded as Claritev, has been at the center of multiple sprawling legal challenges regarding its repricing tools. While some battles have been ongoing, others are just gaining steam.
MultiPlan, a data analytics firm, offers payers tools to inform out-of-network reimbursement. A growing wave of lawsuits alleges those repricing tools became the engine of a price-fixing scheme, with MultiPlan using pooled claims data and algorithms so competing insurers could pay suppressed out-of-network rates. Commercial insurers are also involved in the litigation, allegedly serving as the scheme’s “spokes.” Providers say underpayments reached tens of billions of dollars per year. The company denies wrongdoing, saying it does not set reimbursement rates or make final payment decisions.
These are the cases to know — including the ones to still watch, and others that have fizzled.
The big one
Multi-district litigation in the federal court for the Northern District of Illinois has consolidated more than 100 provider lawsuits against MultiPlan and the country’s largest insurers. The first complaints were transferred to the MDL in 2024.
Altamonte Springs, Fla.-based AdventHealth’s complaint dated back to 2023, alleging provider underpayments of about $19 billion per year. Shreveport, La.-based Allegiance Health Management filed a complaint in 2024 that alleged annual underpayments of $22 billion by 2022 due to price-fixing with out-of-network claims.
From chiropractic groups to state medical associations to major health systems, the MDL runs the gamut of providers.
A major milestone came in June 2025, when the judge in the case allowed federal and state antitrust claims and state consumer protection claims to progress. However, he granted defendants’ motion to dismiss unjust enrichment claims.
While some cases have been closed out, the roster of complaints continues to grow. Lifepoint Corporate Services — affiliated with Brentwood, Tenn.-based Lifepoint Health — joined in early June. Along with MultiPlan, Lifepoint’s complaint targeted Aetna, Cigna, Elevance Health, Kaiser Foundation Health Plan, Health Net of California and some Blues plans, as well. The company claimed at least “tens of millions of dollars” in damages from October 2024 through September 2025.
Arizona’s lawsuit
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes filed a separate, though similar, lawsuit in state court in June. The complaint addressed MultiPlan, Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealth Group, Humana, Elevance Health, Health Care Service Corp., Centene and Molina Healthcare.
“By using a shared algorithm to set payments, these companies harmed doctors and patients alike — driving up patients’ risk of paying more out‑of‑pocket costs, depriving providers of fair payment and sometimes forcing them to accept payment below the costs incurred for treatment, and making it harder for Arizonans to get the care they needed,” the attorney general said in a June 1 news release. “This case is another example of old-fashioned price-fixing using new technology, but it’s against the law all the same.”
A parallel federal case
A federal case in Massachusetts does not focus on MultiPlan, rather its competitor Zelis. Providers in California, New Jersey, Wisconsin and Kansas made up the consolidated action, which was unified in 2025. The litigation alleges a similar antitrust conspiracy led by Zelis and also focuses on Aetna, Cigna, Elevance Health, Humana and UnitedHealth Group.
In March, a judge for the U.S. District Court for the District of Massachusetts denied a motion to dismiss the case.
“[The] motion was procedural and does not change Zelis’ position,” a Zelis spokesperson previously said in a statement shared with Becker’s. “Zelis operates with a strong commitment to integrity, transparency and full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations. Zelis uses common, publicly available data sources when making its recommendations to managed care organizations and third-party administrators. We remain confident the facts will show these lawsuits are without merit.”
The Justice Department enters the fray
The Justice Department filed a statement of interest in the Illinois MDL in March 2025. In May 2026, The Capitol Forum reported MultiPlan is facing a criminal price-fixing investigation by the Justice Department, but the company said it only received a confidential grand jury subpoena in 2024 “in connection with an investigation regarding health insurance.” MultiPlan said “at no point in the subsequent two years has the [Justice Department] informed the company that it is the target of an investigation,” according to a regulatory filing.
The cases that did not survive
In 2024, a California judge dismissed a lawsuit, initiated in 2021, by the liquidating trust for Redwood City, Calif.-based Verity Health. The system declared bankruptcy in 2018 and sold assets throughout 2020.
The lawsuit alleged violations of the state’s Cartwright Act and Unfair Competition Law, costing providers a collective $10 billion annually from 2012 through 2020. However, MultiPlan successfully argued reimbursement rates are not prices that could be fixed under the Cartwright Act. Verity’s allegation of unlawful exchange of competitively sensitive business information was insufficient, the judge also determined. Verity eventually appealed.
In 2025, a New York federal judge dismissed a case by Long Island Anesthesiologists. The group appealed, but the court said the provider did not plausibly allege antitrust injury.
Where Claritev stands
In statements shared with Becker’s, Claritev disputed the claims and highlighted both Verity’s and Long Island Anesthesiologists’ respective losses.
In response to Lifepoint’s contribution to the MDL, “the allegations misunderstand Claritev’s role and solutions,” a Claritev spokesperson told Becker’s June 5. “Claritev is not a health insurer, does not assume insurance risk, does not set out-of-network reimbursement rates and does not make final payment or coverage decisions for clients,” the spokesperson added.
Regarding the Arizona lawsuit, Claritev said the case “lacks a basic understanding of what our solutions do and don’t do. The allegations are unequivocally without merit, and the company stands by its position that it complies with state and federal antitrust laws.”
At the Becker's 11th Annual IT + Revenue Cycle Conference: The Future of AI & Digital Health, taking place September 14–17 in Chicago, healthcare executives and digital leaders from across the country will come together to explore how AI, interoperability, cybersecurity, and revenue cycle innovation are transforming care delivery, strengthening financial performance, and driving the next era of digital health. Apply for complimentary registration now.