In Las Vegas, throughout Nevada and across the nation, insurance disputes happen frequently. This can involve businesses and individuals. While these cases are often viewed from the perspective of a person who expected to receive payments for lost property, damages, healthcare and more, it can also involve large companies experiencing discord over payments that were allegedly supposed to have been made. These cases can involve significant sums of money and need to be litigated in court. Since insurance lawsuits are complex regardless of who is involved, it is important to be cognizant of the tenets of a case and how to successfully pursue it.
Nevada TeamHealth affiliates win lawsuit against UnitedHealthCare
A lawsuit filed by TeamHealth affiliates in Nevada was decided in the plaintiff’s favor with UnitedHealthCare ordered to pay after making underpayments on claims. Losses from the underpayments were said to have surpassed $10.5 million. UnitedHealthcare will be ordered to pay $2 million in damages with the determination as to how much it will pay punitively coming in the next several weeks. UnitedHealthcare says that it is assessing the decision and planning its next step.
The payments were supposed to have been made to emergency medical physicians. The claim started when a subsidiary of TeamHealth filed a lawsuit in Nevada. The insurer covers more than 50 million people and was accused of underpaying. UnitedHealthcare said it had behaved appropriately and it had taken physicians from TeamHealth out of its network because of exorbitant prices. Price has been the catalyst for other physician staffing firms being removed from the networks. According to the jury, UnitedHealthcare acted illegally and improperly. It is believed that the punitive damages could escalate to $1 billion.
Insurance litigation is complex and expert assistance may be necessary
The insurance industry is the breeding ground endless dispute. This is often assessed from the viewpoint of people who make claims and find that the insurer does not want to pay, does not pay the full amount expected or seeks loopholes to try not to pay anything at all. However, there are other arenas where insurance law comes to the forefront. This is one such case. With any disagreement over insurance, those involved should understand the value of having experienced assistance. Consulting with those who understand these issues is a useful first step.
