Steward Health Care System, the Massachusetts hospital chain that last year abandoned its plans to buy Landmark Medical Center, is suing Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island, blaming the insurer for the deal's failure.
In a suit filed in Superior Court, Steward alleges that Blue Cross engaged in "unlawful attempted and actual monopolization" of the health-insurance market.
While the Steward deal was pending, Blue Cross and Landmark failed to reach agreement on a new contract and Landmark temporarily became an "out-of-network" hospital for Blue Cross members. This resulted, the suit alleges, in fewer patients coming to Landmark, "further damaging" the hospital's finances.
Steward is seeking unspecified damages. A Blue Cross spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.