Aetna Health Insurance and CVS Health were hit with a consumer class action on behalf of health care providers, alleging that the defendants force providers to accept payments via prepaid debit cards that charge merchant fees while refusing requests for alternative payment methods.
Takeaway: Last year, Aetna was named in an antitrust lawsuit over alleged price-fixing, where numerous health insurer defendants were accused of conspiring to decrease payments for patient care rendered by out-of-network providers, allowing the defendants to earn more than physicians.