Third-Party Payor Opioid Settlements

Exciting news for third-party payors: a second round of opioid settlements has been reached, creating an additional $180 million settlement fund for eligible health plans and other third-party payors impacted by the opioid crisis.

In Re: National Prescription Opiate Consultant Litigation (Case No. 1:17-md-2804)

Settlement Fund

$180 million

• Allergan – $10 million

• Janssen – $40 million

• Teva – $45 million

• CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart – $85 million

Class Period

January 1, 1996, through June 16, 2026

Claim Filing Deadline

December 1, 2026

Settling Defendants

Allergan, Janssen, Teva, CVS, Walgreens, and Walmart

Overview

This settlement compensates eligible third-party payors for amounts paid and costs incurred for opioid prescription drugs and for treatment, services, and procedures related to the use, misuse, addiction to, and overdose from opioids.

This settlement represents the second major third-party payor opioid settlement in the National Prescription Opiate Litigation. It follows the $300 million Distributor Settlement involving Cencora, Cardinal Health, and McKesson, as well as the earlier $78 million McKinsey Consultant Settlement. Together, these settlements continue to expand recovery opportunities for health plans and other eligible third-party payors.

Eligibility

Eligible class members include entities that:

• Paid and/or were reimbursed for opioid prescription drugs manufactured, marketed, sold, distributed, or dispensed by the settling defendants and/or alleged opioid enterprise members (other than for resale); and/or

• Paid or incurred costs for treatment, services, or procedures related to the use, misuse, addiction to, or overdose from opioids on behalf of their members or beneficiaries between January 1, 1996 and June 16, 2026.

For clarity, the Settlement Class includes, but is not limited to:

• Private contractors of Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plans

• Self-funded local governmental health plans that have not previously settled claims in MDL No. 2804

• Managed Medicaid plans

• Medicare Part C and Part D plans

• Taft-Hartley plans

• ERISA plans

Excluded from the Settlement Class are:

• Federal governmental entities and state or local governmental entities whose claims were previously released through an opioid settlement

• Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), although entities that own an interest in a PBM are not excluded solely for that reason

• Consumers

• Fully insured plan sponsors

• The settling defendants and certain related parties

Recommended Next Steps

MCAG is actively preparing claims for this settlement.

To complete your claim, certain pharmacy and enrollment information will be required.

If we do not already work directly with your Benefits Department or pharmacy benefits team, please connect us with the appropriate contact so we can discuss the data requirements and begin preparing your claim before the filing deadline.

Register for MCAG's Settlement Recovery Service

Organizations who are not yet contracted with MCAG may contact one of our representatives to learn how to sign up for our Settlement Recovery Service. There are no upfront fees—MCAG aligns its incentives with yours and charges a percentage of any recoveries obtained on your behalf. If no money is recovered for your organization from the Settlement(s), then MCAG will not charge or retain a fee.

MCAG is not the Settlement/Class Administrator, and this is not the official settlement website.

Need more information? Visit our Help Center for answers to frequently asked questions, settlement updates, and additional resources.