class action suit

A federal judge in Florida threw out a major case against UnitedHealth, resolving a class action suit the that has faced the health plan for the last eight years. About 800,000 physicians had filed suit against the insurer, arguing that it unfairly cut reimbursements. Claims against Coventry Health, which was also named in the suit, were thrown out as well. In March, Arizona fined UnitedHealth for improperly denying thousands of physician claims. Last week, the company was forced to …

It's been an eventful week for healthcare watchers. There were a number of noteworthy events, both good and bad. A large non-profit hospital chain, Catholic Healthcare West of San Francisco, announced a settlement in a class action suit over the rates it charges uninsured patients. Evidence--as if any were needed--that the litigation issue isn't going away any time soon. Earlier in …

More details have emerged about allegations that WellPoint subsidiary Blue Cross of California has routinely canceled the policies of members with health problems. The Los Angeles Times talks with attorney William Shernoff, who began gathering evidence for a class action suit last year after learning of the existence of a unit within the company responsible for looking for cases of possible fraud. Four members of the unit testified about its activities in a trial last year. …

> A class action suit filed in California charges Catholic Healthcare West with price gouging in the rates it charges the uninsured. Article

> Blog Therapy? In case you hadn't noticed, medicine is changing. Article

> In a decision with …

> The US Department of Agriculture released its new food pyramid for kids, tailored to the six to 11 age group. Story

> A new report by the advocacy group Families USA questions the value delivered by Medicare Part D. Supporters are crying foul. …

Health insurance giant WellPoint said its second-quarter profit was up sharply, news which comes as little surprise. The company said net income for the quarter was $559.4 million, an increase which reflects the company's merger with Anthem late last year. The results include a $135 million charge WellPoint took earlier this month as it settled a class-action suit with doctors alleging the company systematically underpaid them. As of June, the Indianapolis-based Blue Cross Blue …

On Friday, Guidant corporation announced that it will recall 53,000 implantable defibrillators after evidence emerged of a second death linked to problems with the devices. That news puts thousands of patients who have had the units surgically implanted in a very delicate position. Most will be forced to decide if their peace of mind is worth the risk of having surgery to have the defibrillator removed. Predictably, attorneys for a patient who filed a class action suit against the …

In what is probably a historic first, Generic drug maker Able Laboratories said it is recalling all of the generic drugs it manufacturers following last week's news that the company had halted shipments due to production problems. CEO Dhananjay G. Wadekar resigned last week and has been temporarily replaced by president Robert J. Mauro. Able markets more than 40 different generics and recorded $130 million in sales last year. The company's stock has fallen from $30 per share to …

Angry about decisions made by insurance companies in the area, a group of physicians in Kansas City has filed a lawsuit accusing local insurers of collusion. More than 2,000 doctors have joined forces to accuse six major insurers operating in the Kansas City area of an attempt to "systematically deny, delay and diminish" patient care and costs. Many are especially angry that their clinical decisions are being overridden by insurers. One doctor participating in the case comments, "You …