July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Lawsuit targets Anthem (7/1/03)
Redkey woman says company didn't pay claim
A suit filed by a Redkey woman last week against health insurance provider Anthem Inc. won’t be withdrawn, even though the company has said it would pay a disputed claim that sparked the lawsuit.
The suit, filed Friday on behalf of Beatrice K. Holliday, 59, 220 East Bell Ave., alleges that Anthem failed to pay a claim of $41,679.85 for surgery in December of 2002 to remove a tumor from Holliday’s vertebrae and to stabilize her spine. The surgery was performed by St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.
Anthem has since agreed to pay the claim, but her attorney Scott Weathers told The Indianapolis Star the case will proceed. “You don’t get out of a lawsuit by saying, ‘Here’s the money we owed you two months ago,’” Weathers told The Star. Weathers is partner in the Indianapolis law office of Huffer and Weathers.
Telephone messages left by The Commercial Review for Weathers and Anthem spokesperson Deborah New were not returned as of late this morning.
Weathers’ partner, Steve Huffer, said this morning that the case would move forward despite Anthem’s decision to pay the claim.
The suit, which alleges breach of contract by Anthem, states that Holliday, a former Arkansas resident, is currently under hospice care and in “grave” condition. The suit asks for actual and punitive damages in an amount to “punish Anthem and discourage similar behavior in the future.”
New told The Indianapolis Star that Anthem has paid $290,000 in medical bills since December for Holliday, who is covered by an individual policy from Anthem.
New said that officials from her company were unaware of the billing dispute. “If someone had contacted us, we could have looked into the situation and found the claim should be paid in full,” New told The Indianapolis Star.
Weathers said that Anthem had previously denied the claim because it deemed the rods prosthetic devices, which are covered up to $2,000 under Holliday’s policy.
Weathers said that Holliday did not use Anthem’s appeals process to try to resolve the dispute.
Holliday is scheduled to give a deposition in the case Wednesday.[[In-content Ad]]
The suit, filed Friday on behalf of Beatrice K. Holliday, 59, 220 East Bell Ave., alleges that Anthem failed to pay a claim of $41,679.85 for surgery in December of 2002 to remove a tumor from Holliday’s vertebrae and to stabilize her spine. The surgery was performed by St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis.
Anthem has since agreed to pay the claim, but her attorney Scott Weathers told The Indianapolis Star the case will proceed. “You don’t get out of a lawsuit by saying, ‘Here’s the money we owed you two months ago,’” Weathers told The Star. Weathers is partner in the Indianapolis law office of Huffer and Weathers.
Telephone messages left by The Commercial Review for Weathers and Anthem spokesperson Deborah New were not returned as of late this morning.
Weathers’ partner, Steve Huffer, said this morning that the case would move forward despite Anthem’s decision to pay the claim.
The suit, which alleges breach of contract by Anthem, states that Holliday, a former Arkansas resident, is currently under hospice care and in “grave” condition. The suit asks for actual and punitive damages in an amount to “punish Anthem and discourage similar behavior in the future.”
New told The Indianapolis Star that Anthem has paid $290,000 in medical bills since December for Holliday, who is covered by an individual policy from Anthem.
New said that officials from her company were unaware of the billing dispute. “If someone had contacted us, we could have looked into the situation and found the claim should be paid in full,” New told The Indianapolis Star.
Weathers said that Anthem had previously denied the claim because it deemed the rods prosthetic devices, which are covered up to $2,000 under Holliday’s policy.
Weathers said that Holliday did not use Anthem’s appeals process to try to resolve the dispute.
Holliday is scheduled to give a deposition in the case Wednesday.[[In-content Ad]]
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