Lawsuit argues health insurers illegally discriminate by not covering hearing aids, treatment
A Seattle law firm is suing two health insurance companies for not covering treatment for hearing loss, calling the exclusion illegal discrimination under federal law.
The outcome could set a precedent for insurers nationwide.
The law firm Sirianni Youtz Spoonemore Hamburger filed class action suits Monday against Regence BlueShield and Kaiser Foundation Health Plan of Washington on behalf of three named plaintiffs at this time but representing thousands of Washington patients potentially affected by the outcome.
It’s the same firm that successfully argued last year that the state’s Medicaid program could not refuse coverage for a hepatitis C cure for people whose liver disease hadn’t yet advanced to cirrhosis. Thanks to a settlement agreement in that case, all hep C patients covered by Medicaid can now be considered for the life-saving drug.
“By categorically excluding insureds with Hearing Loss of all medical treatment related to their disability (except for cochlear implants), Regence/Kaiser engages in illegal disability discrimination,” the two suits say. “The Affordable Care Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability by covered entities, including health insurers” like Regence and Kaiser.
Read more: http://www.yakimaherald.com/news/local/lawsuit-argues-health-insurers-illegally-discriminate-by-not-covering-hearing/article_3e6a13b2-bd9a-11e7-9aa8-8339e153c19f.html