News tagged with 'Bad Faith Claims'

Which Pennsylvania auto insurance package is recommended by a majority of legal experts? Pennsylvania residents deciding which auto insurance package to buy should highly consider a full tort policy say legal experts across the state. Full tort policies provide complete insurance protection if a policyholder is i

Pennsylvania residents deciding which auto insurance package to buy should highly consider a full tort policy say legal experts across the state. Full tort policies provide complete insurance protection if a policyholder is injured in an automobile accident. Attorneys warn that a limited tort policy, which is th

Thanks to a new website recently launched by ATLA, the Association of Trial Lawyers of America , the public can now join the fight against tort reform. ATLA describes the website, called People Over Profits , as "an organization dedicated to protecting the right to trial by jury for those harmed by the negligence o

UnumProvident Corporation received more troubling news last week when a federal jury in Arizona ordered the insurance provider to pay $84.5 million to a former policyholder. Cardiologist Joanne Ceimo filed suit against UnumProvident after two of its subsidiaries, Paul Revere and Provident Life, and a third insurer, Ge

In a ruling that may have a major impact on the future of health maintenance organizations (HMOs), the United States Supreme Court Wednesday determined that health care networks must accept all providers who agree to abide by their terms. The High Court decision upheld a Kentucky law, known as the any willing provider

A major health insurance company has agreed to pay $41 million after losing a wrongful denial-of-claim lawsuit in Ohio. In 1998, Robert Dardinger sued Anthem Inc. for rejecting his wife's treatment claim the year before. Esther Dardinger, who died of brain cancer in 1997, was using a chemotherapy technique that Anthe

Georgia's state insurance commissioner levied a $1 million fine Wednesday against UnumProvident Corporation, the nation's largest disability insurer, after determining the company fraudulently handled claims. The fine is the largest ever imposed against a company by Georgia insurance officials. Upon issuing the penal

The Ohio Senate may vote as early as Friday on legislation that will cap awards in medical malpractice lawsuits. The tort reform bill, which is expected to pass, will limit future pain and suffering awards in malpractice cases at $300,000. Ohio Governor Bob Taft, who has been pushing for medical malpractice legislati

A new study published by Americans for Insurance Reforms (AIR) reveals that medical malpractice rates fluctuate according to the state of the nation's economy. According to the insurance industry, malpractice rates have increased in recent years because of considerable rises in medical malpractice jury awards. But le

According to a new survey conducted by the American Association of Health Plans (AAHP), hundreds of thousands of elderly Americans may be forced to search for new health care plans next year as HMOs continue to withdraw from Medicare's managed care program. Citing rising health care costs, 58 plans withdrew from Medic

Governor Kenny Guinn of Nevada signed a bill into law yesterday that will place a cap on future pain-and-suffering awards in medical malpractice cases. The law's enactment was a relief for doctors and insurance carriers who have suffered from enormous malpractice verdicts over the past year. The state's largest physi

In a landmark decision involving insurance law, a Federal judge ruled Tuesday that the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA) does not pre-empt bad-faith insurance claims in Pennsylvania. ERISA is a Federal law that restricts lawsuits against employer-supplied medical insurance programs. Under ERISA, the har

A Texas family recently prevailed in a groundbreaking lawsuit filed against a health maintenance organization (HMO) over a medical malpractice claim. Herschel Pybas, 83, died at a hospital in 1999, days after his HMO, Cigna Healthcare of Texas, moved him from a nursing facility to his home. Plaintiff attorneys, who a

A Federal judge recently ruled that a Florida woman may sue her HMO over allegations that one of its agents lied to her about which physician she could see. In August 2000, while Linda Flower was searching for a new Medicare HMO plan, Humana Inc. agent Bill Torres promised that she could continue using Dr. William She

In a judgment aimed at protecting millions of Americans who are insured by health maintenance organizations (HMOs), the Supreme Court ruled Thursday that patients denied coverage by their managed care provider can seek second opinions and enlist independent review boards to assess HMO decisions. The case, Rush Prudent