Exclusive | Anthem Blue Cross to release data officials hope will help NYC crack down on soaring health care costs, saving $2B yearly

The Big Apple’s largest public-employee insurer has agreed to provide previously redacted healthcare data that could help rein in astronomical prices New York hospitals charge patients, The Post has learned.Anthem Blue Cross’ sudden change of heart Saturday came a week after The Post reported on the flawed 263-page report by the city Health Department’s new Office of Healthcare Accountability, which found wild price inconsistencies across city hospitals.For example, a colonoscopy may run $940 at one hospital and $12,000 in another. Same for a cesarean-section delivery, which ranged from $7,000 to $58,000.The study – which focused on payments made through Anthem, and not private-sector insurance plans– also had gaping holes in it, and it accused Anthem of violating the law by failing to provide the OHA with data needed to provide a complete picture of the price inconsistencies.Anthem agreed to release previously redacted data following a virtual meeting Friday with Councilwoman Julie Menin (D-Manhattan), who sponsored the legislation creating the first-of-its-kind healthcare watchdog office in 2023.“We are very pleased to have reached this agreement with Anthem to release this missing healthcare transparency data that will once and for all allow New Yorkers to know what hospitals are charging for all medical procedures and enable [NYC] to potentially save upwards of $2 billion a year by harnessing its purchasing power to drive down costs,” said Menin.The OHA is now expected to issue a revised report with the new numbers to give the city critical information needed to help negotiate cheaper prices for healthcare, Menin added.The insurer set up the meeting following the Post’s coverage of the flawed OHA report, which included Menin ripping Anthem’s decision to withhold data as “a slap in the face to the City of New York.”“We believe in pricing transparency and will continue to work with our partners within city government, o...