Carelon Behavioral Health
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (August 2013) |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Behavioral Health Services |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts |
Area served | United States |
Key people | Glenn MacFarlane (CEO) |
| Parent | Elevance Health |
Carelon Behavioral Health, formerly known as Beacon Health Options, is a behavioral health company based in Boston, Massachusetts.
On Jun. 6, 2019, Anthem, Inc. (now Elevance Health) announced that it had entered into a definitive agreement to acquire Beacon Health Options.[1] The acquisition was completed on Mar. 2, 2020.[2] Prior to the acquisition, Beacon Health was the largest privately held company of its kind in the United States. The company is the product of a 2014 merger between Beacon Health Strategies, LLC and ValueOptions, Inc.[3] The company rebranded as Carelon Behavioral Health in 2023.[4]
The company currently employs 4,700 people nationwide, serving over 40 million people.
As of 2025, Carelon Behavioral Health is the subject of two lawsuits in New York and Connecticut alleging that it operates ghost networks.[5][6]
Description
[edit]In recent years, Carelon company provided behavioral healthcare management to 41 Fortune 500 companies, national and regional health plans, and federal, state, and local governments. It also serves over 45 million people in the United States. As of 2017, most Carelon locations were accredited by URAC (formerly the Utilization Review Accreditation Commission). Many Beacon locations also hold National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) accreditation. Carelon is led by president Glenn MacFarlane.[7]
References
[edit]- ^ "Anthem, Inc. to Acquire Beacon Health Options". www.antheminc.com. Archived from the original on 2019-08-25. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ "Anthem, Inc. Completes Acquisition of Beacon Health Options". www.beaconhealthoptions.com. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ Lascara, Virginia (12 December 2014). "ValueOptions to merge with Boston firm". pilotonline.com/inside-business. Retrieved 2021-09-16.
- ^ Lovett, Laura (2023-03-02). "Elevance Health's Beacon Health Options Rebrands to Carelon Behavioral Health, to Consolidate Payer's Portfolio of Services". Behavioral Health Business. Retrieved 2023-10-14.
- ^ Clason, Lauren (July 15, 2025). "Anthem Hit With Third Class Action on Alleged 'Ghost Networks'". Bloomberg Law. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ Hollowell, Ashleigh (July 15, 2025). "Carelon, Elevance and Anthem Hit With Another Ghost Network Lawsuit". Behavioral Health Business. Archived from the original on 2025-09-18. Retrieved 2025-11-11.
- ^ "Carelon Leadership Team | Carelon". Carelon.com. Retrieved 2023-10-14.