Anthem Blue Cross has agreed to provide New York City with additional data after city officials claimed they could not provide a complete picture of the city’s healthcare spending.
New York City Council Member Julie Menin and Anthem reached an agreement to “release the missing healthcare data that will finally allow the city to save $2 billion a year through our new Healthcare Accountability Office,” according to a March 29 post on X.
New York City spends more than $11 billion annually on health benefits for 1.2 million employees, retirees and dependents. About 75% of these individuals are covered through a PPO program administered by Anthem Blue Cross.
In a report published March 21, the New York City Health Department said it could not compare what it spent for hospital services for its employees to Medicare costs because Anthem had not disclosed the data.
In a statement shared with Becker’s, Anthem said it agreed to provide the city with additional information to “allow for a more robust analysis of hospital pricing.”
“While technically compliant with the law in its initial submission, Anthem agreed that the additional data will enhance the value of the report. We believe in pricing transparency and will continue to work with our partners within city government, organized labor, and our provider community to ensure we are investigating all avenues for continued savings for the employees of New York City and their families,” the company said in its statement.
