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Every physician eligible in Blue Cross Blue Shield settlement
Additional Blue Cross Blue Shield (BCBS) plans have entered into a proposed settlement agreement in the HMO class action case that began in 2003. The most recent settling parties in this long-running litigation are:
- Highmark Inc.
- Keystone Health Plan West, Inc.
- Highmark West Virginia, Inc.
- Parker Benefits, Inc.
Any physicians, physician groups and physician organizations who treated an enrollee of one of these out-of-state plans between May 22, 1999, and Nov. 19, 2007, may file a claim.
Additionally, according to claim form instructions, active physicians who have not treated any enrollees of a settling plan are still eligible to file a claim and receive the “base amount,” which will be determined by the number of claims filed. Therefore, virtually every physician is entitled to file a claim; however you must do so by Feb. 27, 2008.
A settlement in the amount of nearly $10 million, plus interest, will be distributed to eligible physicians who file claims in a timely manner.
For more information
The AMA has published extensive information about this settlement, including “7 Steps to Maximizing Your Recovery… .”
The settlement notice, claim form and instructions were mailed to physicians Nov. 29, 2007. If you did not receive them, you may download them.
If you have questions about the settlement, contact the Settlement Administrator by telephone at (877) 893-2643.
This litigation is a continuation of a class action lawsuit against multiple payers. Wellpoint/Anthem settled out of the case in July 2005.
On Sept. 27, 2007, the ISMA sent a special e-mail alert announcing that 23 BCBS plans had settled and physicians could file claims.
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