Group Sues Aetna, Claiming Discrimination Against H.I.V.Patients
A consumer group has sued the health insurer Aetna, claiming that it discriminated against patients with H.I.V. when it required them to obtain medications exclusively through its own mail-order pharmacy.
The lawsuit, filed Friday in federal court in San Diego by the advocacy group Consumer Watchdog, argues that Aetna’s policy violates the new federal health care law, which prohibits insurers from discriminating against people based on medical condition.
The company’s new policy, which takes effect Jan. 1 and applies to people who have purchased individual coverage, also raises the out-of-pocket amount that patients must pay for their treatments, potentially doubling it in some cases, according to the suit.
“We are in an era where presumably we guarantee access to health insurance to anyone, regardless of their health history or disability,” said Jerry Flanagan, the lead staff lawyer for Consumer Watchdog. But “insurance companies are still in the business of insuring people for the highest premium they can, and keeping their medical expenses down.”
In a statement, a spokeswoman for Aetna said the policy change was “part of our ongoing strategy to do all we can to keep our health plans affordable and help with medication adherence.” She said the move was consistent with industry standards.
Filed under: General Problems
I guess those death panels everyone was so afraid of are actually called “Pharmacy Benefit Managers.”