l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 1 Jury Awards $500 Million Damages in Hepatitis Case
By ANNA WILDE MATHEWS
A Nevada jury said two UnitedHealth Group Inc. UNH +0.31% units should pay a
total of $500 million in punitive damages in a case involving two members
who contracted hepatitis C, an award that will draw close attention in the
health-insurance industry.
The decision follows the jury's decision last week that Health Plan of
Nevada and a sister company, Sierra Health Services, bore responsibility for
negligence in the two women's illness. At that time, it awarded $24 million
in total compensatory damages to them and to the spouse of one of them.
In Tuesday's punitive award in the case, which was in Clark County District
Court in Las Vegas, $270 million was assessed to Health Plan of Nevada and $
230 million to Sierra.
Health Plan of Nevada, the state's largest health insurer with around 700,
000 members, said it plans to appeal the original verdict and Tuesday's
punitive award, which it said "has no grounding whatsoever in reality." It
also said the jury wasn't given "extensive evidence" about topics including
its credentialing process and also the failure by other organizations and
government agencies to detect anything amiss at the clinic.
Robert Eglet, the lead trial attorney for the plaintiffs, had asked for a
punitive award of approximately $2.5 billion. The plaintiffs were Bonnie and
Carl Brunson and Helen Meyer.
Mr. Eglet said in an interview that he was "very happy" with the decision.
He said he wouldn't predict what would happen to an award on appeal, but he
didn't think the company "should be too optimistic" that it would be
overturned or substantially reduced. He also said he had an additional 23
plaintiffs with similar cases against the health insurer.
The case emerged from a hepatitis C outbreak in Nevada that local health
authorities began detecting in late 2007. After a probe by federal, state
and local health investigators, a 2009 report from the Southern Nevada
Health District tied the outbreak to "unsafe injection practices" at the
Endoscopy Center of Southern Nevada, including the alleged reuse of some
syringes and medication vials.
The plaintiffs in the case argued the insurer had a responsibility to
monitor the medical services offered by health-care providers that were part
of its network, and that it knew, or should have known, about the clinic's
problems, which allegedly resulted in the two women contracting hepatitis C.
The main doctor who owned the clinic is facing criminal charges. His
attorney didn't immediately return calls Tuesday.
Health Plan of Nevada has said the clinic's practices were hidden from it
and other organizations and that it had a quality-assurance program that
went beyond state requirements.
Legal experts said it isn't unprecedented for plaintiffs to seek to hold an
insurer liable for a health-care provider's actions, but such cases
typically don't go so far.
The award is "groundbreaking," said John Beisner, a partner at law firm
Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom, which represents defendants in class-
action suits. "It opens the door to putting insurance companies consistently
on the line for the actions of any physician who they compensate for
services."
The case is likely to spark similar efforts by other plaintiffs, and it is
drawing close scrutiny from the health-insurance industry, which "should be
worried," said Tom Baker, a professor at the University of Pennsylvania Law
School.
But experts also said Health Plan of Nevada appeared to have a strong case
for its appeal. Glenn Cohen, a professor at Harvard Law School, said it was
"very likely" the award would be reduced on appeal, and the insurer's point
about evidence not shown to the jury would be a "fine issue to be argued"
before higher courts.
Write to Anna Wilde Mathews at a**********[email protected] | m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 2 我看不懂這裡討論的權利義務關係:
The plaintiffs in the case argued the insurer had a responsibility to
monitor the medical services offered by health-care providers that were part
of its network, and that it knew, or should have known, about the clinic's
problems, which allegedly resulted in the two women contracting hepatitis C. | m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 3 我的理解是: 保險公司因為診所的不當行為被處罰了。
是這樣子嗎?
不是應該是告診所，診所輸了後由診所投保的保險公司付?
怎麼是跳過去告保險公司沒有好好檢查診所的工作呢?
我想我可能誤解了，要再研究一下。 | l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 4 看写的啊: that it knew, or should have known
已经知道或者应该已经知道.
不过这个500million就太过分了.你说保费不涨才怪呢.
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 我的理解是: 保險公司因為診所的不當行為被處罰了。
: 是這樣子嗎?
: 不是應該是告診所，診所輸了後由診所投保的保險公司付?
: 怎麼是跳過去告保險公司沒有好好檢查診所的工作呢?
: 我想我可能誤解了，要再研究一下。
| m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 5 挖!
那照這個邏輯，以後保險公司只要"懷疑"那個醫院、診所有問題，就會馬上找個理由將
其踢出net。那其他正在接受治療的病人不就得自己付全額了嗎?
是的，保險公司不會吃虧的。吃虧的是乖乖工作、照顧好自己健康的小小中產。
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 看写的啊: that it knew, or should have known
: 已经知道或者应该已经知道.
: 不过这个500million就太过分了.你说保费不涨才怪呢.
| p**j
发帖数: 7063 | 6 最终就是全民都用国家医保，搞社会主义那一套。
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 挖!
: 那照這個邏輯，以後保險公司只要"懷疑"那個醫院、診所有問題，就會馬上找個理由將
: 其踢出net。那其他正在接受治療的病人不就得自己付全額了嗎?
: 是的，保險公司不會吃虧的。吃虧的是乖乖工作、照顧好自己健康的小小中產。
| l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 7 那是告保险公司的人说的.其实我觉得没有理由.
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 挖!
: 那照這個邏輯，以後保險公司只要"懷疑"那個醫院、診所有問題，就會馬上找個理由將
: 其踢出net。那其他正在接受治療的病人不就得自己付全額了嗎?
: 是的，保險公司不會吃虧的。吃虧的是乖乖工作、照顧好自己健康的小小中產。
| m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 8 我是三月十號發現未名的，才不到一個月呢! 已經開始有回家的念頭了。
【在 p**j 的大作中提到】
: 最终就是全民都用国家医保，搞社会主义那一套。
| l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 9 回哪里? 台北?
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 我是三月十號發現未名的，才不到一個月呢! 已經開始有回家的念頭了。
| m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 10 是有點想回台灣了。
感覺美國現在還是比台灣進步很多，讓外國人都能有機會發揮潛能，過上挺不錯的日子。
但現在比較看得懂新聞了，感覺整個大趨勢走向很讓我擔心，想孬孬躲回家去。
周末在芝加哥最多奢侈品商店旁地鐵站裡,親眼看到一個上班族在走進車裡的一瞬間被
人從後面搶走手上拿著的手機。
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 回哪里? 台北?
| m********g
发帖数: 10469 | 11 芝加哥黑兄弟干的吧？ 人缺钱就捞点外快。
子。
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 是有點想回台灣了。
: 感覺美國現在還是比台灣進步很多，讓外國人都能有機會發揮潛能，過上挺不錯的日子。
: 但現在比較看得懂新聞了，感覺整個大趨勢走向很讓我擔心，想孬孬躲回家去。
: 周末在芝加哥最多奢侈品商店旁地鐵站裡,親眼看到一個上班族在走進車裡的一瞬間被
: 人從後面搶走手上拿著的手機。
| l****z
发帖数: 29846 | 12 台湾也不行了吧,照马总统的做法,很快大陆就要统一台湾了.
子。
【在 m********a 的大作中提到】
: 是有點想回台灣了。
: 感覺美國現在還是比台灣進步很多，讓外國人都能有機會發揮潛能，過上挺不錯的日子。
: 但現在比較看得懂新聞了，感覺整個大趨勢走向很讓我擔心，想孬孬躲回家去。
: 周末在芝加哥最多奢侈品商店旁地鐵站裡,親眼看到一個上班族在走進車裡的一瞬間被
: 人從後面搶走手上拿著的手機。
| m********a
发帖数: 1041 | 13 好壞都是比較出來的啦!
【在 l****z 的大作中提到】
: 台湾也不行了吧,照马总统的做法,很快大陆就要统一台湾了.
:
: 子。
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