Anthem $3,625,000 Proton Beam Therapy Settlement, Check If You Qualify — Taylor v. Anthem Insurance Companies, No. 3:23-cv-00541

if Anthem’s own records already identified you as someone who sought proton beam radiation therapy for prostate cancer and paid out of pocket after a denial — yes, you’re likely already part of this settlement. Anthem agreed to pay $3,625,000, with individual payments estimated between $20,000 and $25,000. You have until October 10, 2026 to file your claim.

Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Settlement — Key Facts

Settlement Amount	$3,625,000
Claim Deadline	October 10, 2026
Who Qualifies	People identified by Anthem in litigation discovery who sought PBRT coverage for prostate cancer and paid out of pocket after a denial
Estimated Payout	$20,000–$25,000 per person (capped at your actual out-of-pocket payment)
Proof Required	Yes — provider name, address, date(s) of service, description of services, amount paid
Settlement Status	Preliminarily approved; Final Approval Hearing set for August 19, 2026
Court & Case Number	U.S. District Court, Middle District of Tennessee, No. 3:23-cv-00541
Law Alleged	ERISA § 502(a)(1)(B) — improper denial of health plan benefits
Administrator	Verita Global, LLC
Official Claim Site	protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com
Last Updated	August 5, 2026

Who Is Anthem and Why Are They Being Sued Over Proton Beam Therapy?

Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc. and its Georgia affiliate, Blue Cross Blue Shield Healthcare Plan of Georgia, Inc., administer ERISA-governed employer health plans — deciding, claim by claim, whether a treatment counts as “medically necessary” before it gets paid for. When prostate cancer patients asked Anthem to cover proton beam radiation therapy, court filings say Anthem’s clinical guidelines classified it as experimental and denied the claims the same way every time. That plan-wide standard, not a doctor-by-doctor call, is why plaintiffs could argue this belonged in one class action instead of roughly 140 separate lawsuits.

Anthem isn’t a stranger to settling coverage disputes. It was also named in a $228.5 million Northern California premium settlement, though that case involved overcharged premiums, not treatment denials.

What Did Anthem Do to Prostate Cancer Patients Between 2017 and 2026?

Todd Taylor and Thomas Lahowetz filed suit on May 25, 2023, in federal court in Nashville. Both were diagnosed with prostate cancer, both were advised to treat it with proton beam radiation therapy, and both had that coverage denied by Anthem. Neither skipped treatment — they paid out of pocket and sued under ERISA § 502(a)(1)(B), the federal law that lets a health plan member sue when their plan wrongly refuses to pay for care.

This wasn’t two isolated denials. Anthem identified roughly 140 other people in discovery who went through the same sequence: PBRT prescribed, coverage requested, coverage denied. Per the court’s own summary of the case, “the stated basis for denial was that the treatment wasn’t medically necessary” in nearly every file.

The case didn’t go to trial. The parties mediated in Miami on January 20, 2026, and reached this settlement’s framework that same day. Anthem admits no wrongdoing but agreed to fund a $3,625,000 pool rather than keep litigating a three-year-old case with class certification fights and appeals still ahead of it.

Who Qualifies for the Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Settlement?

Here’s exactly how to know if you qualify for the Anthem proton beam radiation therapy settlement.

• Individuals Anthem itself identified in the litigation’s discovery records as having sought PBRT coverage for prostate cancer between May 25, 2017, and the settlement date
• Anyone whose claim was denied because Anthem’s guidelines called PBRT experimental, investigational, or not medically necessary
• People who paid out of pocket for the treatment rather than go without it
• Excluded: the judge and court staff assigned to the case, Anthem’s counsel, Class Counsel, and their immediate families — along with anyone who validly opted out

One catch worth knowing up front: this isn’t a settlement you can join just by proving you meet the criteria. The Settlement Class is limited to people Anthem already flagged in its own discovery production. If you weren’t identified, there’s no current path to opt in — check any notice you received, or call the administrator to confirm you’re on the list.

Anthem Plan Members Outside Tennessee — Are You Still Covered?

Yes. This is a federal ERISA claim, not a state lawsuit, so your state doesn’t matter — Tennessee is simply where the case was filed. What matters is whether Anthem administered your employer-sponsored plan and denied PBRT coverage during the covered period, the same federal framework behind another recent ERISA class-action settlement over health benefit plan administration.

Not sure if you qualify for the Anthem proton beam therapy settlement? A free consultation with an ERISA benefits attorney can help before the October 10, 2026 claim deadline.

Did Anthem ever put it in writing that proton beam therapy wasn’t medically necessary for your prostate cancer? If your name is already sitting in their discovery file, that denial letter is your ticket into this settlement.

How Much Can Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Settlement Class Members Get? Up to $25,000 Per Person

The math starts with the $3,625,000 fund, but that’s not what gets divided among class members. Class Counsel is asking the court for up to $906,250 in fees — 25% of the fund — plus $68,325.48 in costs and a $20,000 service award for the two named plaintiffs. Subtract those, and roughly $2.63 million is left before administration costs come out too. That’s the arithmetic behind class counsel’s own filing, which pegs the average payment at $20,000 to $25,000.

Anthem PBRT Payout With Proof of Payment

More filers means smaller checks for everyone; fewer means bigger ones. Either way, your payment can never exceed what you actually paid out of pocket — the settlement calls this your “Qualifying Payment,” and it’s a hard cap.

How and When You’ll Be Paid

Verita Global pays by check, mailed no later than 60 days after the settlement becomes final and any appeal window closes. Checks go void if not cashed within 180 days; a reissued check gets one more shot. Payments over $600 may show up on a 1099 — the settlement offers no tax advice, so check with a professional.

That $906,250 fee request is roughly one dollar out of every four in the fund, before a single claim gets reviewed. Fairly standard for a case that ran three years — but worth knowing before the number on your check tells the whole story.

How to File Your Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Settlement Claim — Step by Step

1. Go to the official site at protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com — not a lookalike or a third-party “claim finder.”
2. Confirm you’re a Settlement Class Member. If Verita Global already mailed or emailed you a notice, you’re on Anthem’s list.
3. Fill out the Claim Form with your provider’s name, provider’s address, date(s) of service, a description of the services, and the exact amount you paid out of pocket.
4. Attach documentation — a bill, an explanation of benefits, or a payment receipt covering those same five details.
5. Mail the signed, dated form to Verita Global, P.O. Box 301132, Los Angeles, CA 90030-1132, postmarked by October 10, 2026.
6. Watch your mail and email. The administrator will reach out if anything in your claim is missing or needs clarification.

Takes about 10 minutes with your billing records on hand. That reimbursement is yours only if you send the paperwork in — skip it, and your share goes to class members who did file, or to the cy pres recipient, Beam of Hope Foundation, if money’s left over.

Should Anthem Settlement Class Members Opt Out or Object? (Deadlines Have Passed)

What Opting Out of the Anthem Settlement Actually Meant

The window to opt out closed July 27, 2026. Members who validly excluded themselves gave up their settlement payment but kept the right to sue Anthem separately over the same denials. If you did nothing by that date, you’re in the settlement now.

How Objecting to the Anthem Settlement Worked

The objection deadline was also July 27, 2026. Members who disagreed could tell the court why in writing without losing their payment. If 10% or more of the roughly 142 identified class members had opted out, Anthem could have walked away from the deal — that threshold wasn’t reached, and both windows are now closed.

Talk to an ERISA benefits attorney if you still have questions — opting out and objecting are closed, but filing your claim isn’t.

Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Settlement — Key Dates, 2026

Milestone	Date
Mediation Reached	January 20, 2026
Filed for Preliminary Court Approval	May 2026
Opt-Out Deadline	July 27, 2026 (passed)
Objection Deadline	July 27, 2026 (passed)
Final Approval Hearing	August 19, 2026, 2:00 PM, Nashville, TN
Claim Filing Deadline	October 10, 2026
Expected Payment Date	UNVERIFIED — within 60 days of the settlement becoming final, which depends on whether it’s appealed

Anthem Proton Beam Therapy — Frequently Asked Questions, No. 3:23-cv-00541

Do I need a lawyer to file an Anthem proton beam therapy settlement claim?

 No. Filing is free and doesn’t require an attorney. But Anthem’s fund is capped at $3,625,000 and your payment depends on your Qualifying Payment amount, so a free consult with an ERISA attorney can help if your claim is unusually complicated.

Is the Anthem proton beam therapy settlement legitimate?

 Yes. It’s a court-supervised settlement in Taylor v. Anthem Insurance Companies, No. 3:23-cv-00541, administered by Verita Global under the oversight of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Tennessee — not a private mailer or a scam.

When will Anthem settlement payments be sent? 

Verita Global must mail checks within 60 days after the settlement becomes final, which won’t happen until after the August 19, 2026 Final Approval Hearing and any appeal period runs out.

What if I missed the Anthem claim deadline?

 Claim Forms must be postmarked by October 10, 2026. The settlement agreement doesn’t lay out a late-claims process, so missing the deadline risks losing your Settlement Payment entirely.

Will my Anthem settlement payment go on a 1099?

 Possibly. The agreement makes each class member responsible for any taxes owed on their own payment and offers no tax advice, so check with a tax professional about how a treatment-cost reimbursement is taxed.

Am I part of the Anthem settlement if I paid for proton beam therapy but never got a notice?

 Only if Anthem identified you in the litigation’s discovery process. The Settlement Class is limited to people Anthem’s own records already flagged — there’s no self-nomination option here.

How much will attorneys’ fees reduce my Anthem settlement payment?

 Class Counsel is requesting up to $906,250 — 25% of the $3,625,000 fund — plus $68,325.48 in costs. Those come out before the roughly $2.63 million distributable balance is divided among class members.

Is there a cap on how much I can get from the Anthem settlement? 

Yes. Your payment can’t exceed what you personally paid out of pocket for proton beam therapy, even if the pro-rata math would otherwise put you higher.

Sources Used in This Anthem Proton Beam Therapy Article

• Settlement Agreement and Release — Taylor v. Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., No. 3:23-cv-00541: https://protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com/media/7008933/settlement_agreement_and_release.pdf
• Short-Form Settlement Notice, Verita Global (June 5, 2026): https://protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com/media/7008942/ahta_shortnotice_060526_final.pdf
• Claim Form, Verita Global (June 10, 2026): https://protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com/media/7008939/ahta_claim_061026_final.pdf
• Important Dates & Deadlines — Official Settlement Website: https://protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com/important-dates-deadlines.aspx
• Law360, “Anthem Inks $3.6M Settlement In Proton Beam Therapy Suit” (May 19, 2026): https://www.law360.com/articles/2479515/anthem-inks-3-6m-settlement-in-proton-beam-therapy-suit
• Justia Federal Court Docket, Taylor v. Anthem Insurance Companies, Inc., et al., No. 3:23-cv-00541: https://dockets.justia.com/docket/tennessee/tnmdce/3:2023cv00541/94753

Researched and written by Israr Ahmad, legal content researcher and founder of AllAboutLawyer.com. All facts verified against the official Settlement Agreement, Claim Form, and Important Dates page at protonbeamradiationtherapylitigation.com, and against Law360’s May 19, 2026 report, as of August 5, 2026. Last Updated: August 5, 2026.

This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Laws vary by state and individual circumstances differ. For advice about your specific situation, consult a qualified attorney.