In the March 26, 2005 issue, DC reported that the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida had preliminarily approved an $11.55 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit involving CIGNA HealthCare and a number of other health care plans. Since May 2000, a series of legal filings which now includes three class-action lawsuits and thousands of health care providers alleges that CIGNA and other plans have improperly denied, delayed and/or reduced payment to providers.
The article noted March 21, 2005, as the deadline for qualified health care providers to be "included in, or excluded from" the settlement. DC has since learned that March 21 was the date by which health care providers could "opt out" of the settlement.
Doctors who want to be included in the settlement actually have until May 27, 2005, to submit a claim form to be eligible for cash compensation. Information on submitting a claim is available at www.cignaprovidersettlement.com. The court will be holding a second hearing on April 26, 2005, to consider the "fairness, reasonableness and adequacy" of the proposed settlement and decide whether to grant final approval.
For more information, including qualification criteria, read "CIGNA Offers $11 Million to DCs, Others in Class-Action Lawsuit": www.chiroweb.com/archives/23/07/21.html.
