Empire Plan Enrollees May Share in $350M Legal Settlement

Empire Plan members who received medical-surgical services from a non-participating (par) provider between March 15, 1994 and November 18, 2009 may receive a notice in the mail concerning a class action settlement between the American Medical Association (AMA) and United Healthcare (UHC).  This nationwide settlement agreement resolves a class-action lawsuit filed on behalf of the AMA, health plan members, health care providers, and state medical societies regarding issues that have been raised by the AMA concerning the Reasonable and Customary Charges used by UHC to reimburse their health plan members for services performed by non-par providers. 

You must file a claim form to receive any share in the settlement. The deadline for submission of claim forms and any required supporting documentation is October 5, 2010. How much you might receive from the settlement will depend, in part, on the number of claims received nationwide. That also will affect how long it takes to pay the claims. As indicated on the settlement notice, all questions related to the settlement or submission of forms should be directed to Berdon Claims Administration LLC.   To view the notice and for more information regarding the settlement, please visit their website at www.berdonclaims.com.