Anthem Sued for $2.1 Million in Unpaid NSA Arbitration Awards
Two medical providers sued Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Colorado state court on Friday, April 3, 2026, seeking a combined $2.1 million in unpaid Independent Dispute Resolution awards and related claim balances under the federal No Surprises Act. According to complaints filed in Denver District Court, the providers prevailed in multiple IDR proceedings against Anthem and then could not get paid.
Arkansas-based Noble Elite Telemonitoring Services LLC seeks more than $1.6 million across ninety unpaid IDR determinations and related claim balances. Colorado-based Boulder Valley IOM LLC seeks more than $446,000 across fifty-seven unpaid IDR determinations and related claim balances. Both providers say they delivered medically necessary services to Anthem members, submitted timely claims, completed the required open negotiation period, and won at arbitration. Anthem, they allege, then withheld payment, underpaid, or unreasonably delayed without justification. The complaints describe Anthem’s nonpayment as a pattern, not isolated administrative errors.
What This Means for Out-of-Network Providers
Nonpayment is rarely a one-off error. Noble Elite identified ninety unpaid determinations from a single carrier. Boulder Valley identified fifty-seven. When the same insurer is leaving that volume of binding awards unpaid against multiple providers, the pattern matters more than any individual claim. Practices that suspect they are seeing similar conduct are almost certainly correct.
Providers across the country are pursuing unpaid awards through multiple legal pathways. The Colorado plaintiffs are relying on state law claims including unjust enrichment, breach of implied-in-fact contracts, bad faith, and violations of Colorado’s prompt pay regime. Other practices in other states are pursuing federal court enforcement, ERISA-based claims where the plan and assignment permit, and administrative complaints to the Department of Health and Human Services.
What to Do Now
Every practice with out-of-network claims should be tracking IDR outcomes against actual payments received. The thirty-day federal payment window after a determination is short, and the documentation built during that window forms the foundation of any enforcement action that follows.
Choice of forum and legal theory is itself a legal question. State law remedies, ERISA-based claims, administrative complaints, and federal court enforcement have different requirements, evidentiary standards, and timing. The right path depends on the plan type, the state of treatment, the specific facts of the unpaid awards, and the volume of claims involved. The right answer depends on the specifics, and it usually determines whether the collection effort goes anywhere.
The documentation a practice preserves today shapes what is recoverable later. IDR determinations, payment records, open negotiation correspondence, plan documents, and EOBs should be retained in a form that supports legal action when needed.
How Minevich Law Group Can Help
Minevich Law Group represents medical providers in federal NSA arbitration nationwide, and in New York and New Jersey state surprise billing arbitration. As licensed attorneys, we can do what billing companies cannot. We pursue enforcement actions when carriers refuse to honor binding awards, through whatever vehicle the case requires, including federal court litigation, state law actions, ERISA-based claims, and administrative complaints to HHS.
If your practice is holding unpaid IDR awards, or if you suspect a carrier is systematically delaying or denying payments after arbitration, we can review your records and identify what is recoverable.
Call 516-202-2196 or schedule a free consultation to discuss your situation.
