Arizona Attorney General Kimberly Mayes has filed a lawsuit accusing health care cost management company MultiPlan and eight major health insurers of operating a price-fixing scheme that inflated out-of-network care costs for state residents. The defendants include Aetna, Centene, Cigna, Elevance, Health Care Service Corp., Humana, Molina, and United Healthcare.
The lawsuit alleges that the insurers relied on a shared algorithm operated by MultiPlan to decide how much to pay for out-of-network care, sharing confidential claims payment information through the company. Rather than setting payments independently, the named insurers used the same formula and data, resulting in consistently low payouts that decreased over time while insurer profits increased.
Impact on Patients and Providers
According to the filing, the coordinated effort to use low payments harmed both doctors and patients by driving up out-of-pocket costs for patients, depriving providers of fair payment, and sometimes forcing them to accept payment below treatment costs. “By using a shared algorithm to set payments, these companies harmed doctors and patients alike,” Mayes said. The lawsuit notes that the effort particularly impacted providers in rural areas and mental health clinics.
MultiPlan’s employees allegedly used aggressive tactics to convince providers to accept the low amounts. The alleged scheme violated the Arizona Uniform State Antitrust Act and the Arizona Consumer Fraud Act.
Legal Response and Relief Sought
The suit asks that the court issue a permanent injunction and that money be returned to patients, providers, and others harmed by the scheme. It also calls for MultiPlan and the health insurance companies to surrender any profits earned through the arrangement and for civil penalties to be imposed.
MultiPlan stated it “strongly disagrees” with the allegations, calling them “without merit” and asserting the company complies with antitrust laws. The company noted that similar theories have “previously been dismissed by courts.” CVS Health, which operates as part of the insurance system, denied the allegations through a spokesman, saying it would “defend ourselves vigorously.” Health Care Service Corp. stated it does not comment on pending litigation.
This article is an AI-assisted summary. All facts and figures are drawn from the original report: https://www.kold.com/2026/06/01/arizona-ag-mayes-sues-health-care-giants-over-alleged-price-fixing/