Minneapolis-based GS Labs has filed new counterclaims in an ongoing legal fight against Blue Cross Blue Shield of Minnesota.
GS Labs alleged in 21 new counterclaims that the insurer violated antitrust laws and the CARES Act, conspired with other BCBS affiliates to fix prices and illegally boycott testing labs, and committed consumer fraud, according to a June 29 news release.
The lab said in the filing that BCBS Minnesota allegedly worked with other BCBS affiliates to set unsustainably high COVID-19 testing prices. The companies also allegedly conspired to boycott providers "that do not accede to the BCBS cartel's fiat prices."
GS Labs alleges in the counterclaims that BCBS Minnesota failed to pay tens of millions of dollars in COVID-19 test reimbursements. The lab is seeking full payment for those reimbursements, plus legal and investigative fees, compensation for lost goodwill, and three times the actual damages for each of the payer's alleged antitrust violations.