Posted on 04/02/2014 11:45:45 AM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Just days after the deadline to enroll for insurance coverage through Nevada Health Link, the first class-action lawsuit has been filed on behalf of residents who say they signed up and paid their premiums – but were never given coverage.
Law firm Callister & Associates filed the lawsuit on behalf of Larry Basich, who signed up for state health insurance and paid premiums as far back as November, but then was not covered following a Jan. 3 triple bypass procedure that saw his $400,000 in medical expenses passed between the wrong insurance companies, the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports.
The lawsuit filed in U.S. District Court of Nevada on Tuesday alleges gross negligence and failure to do due diligence against the state of Nevada, the Silver State Health Insurance Exchange (which runs Nevada Health Link), and the company that won the contract to build the exchange, Xerox.
Four companies had responded with proposals to build the state’s Obamacare exchange, and Xerox won in what state officials said was a standard process for the national and state governments in reviewing bids for technology contracts. Xerox won the bid after receiving the highest-score on a state criteria list ranging from financial stability to comparable contract experience.
The Nevada state government has since given the second-place company, Deloitte Consulting, a $1.5 million contract to fix the Nevada Health Link.
Attorney Matthew Callister told the Review-Journal that about 40 people had called saying they had also paid their insurance premiums but have no coverage. As of last week, the Nevada Health Link had a “pends” list totaling more than 10,500 people still without coverage.
Lea Swartley, who also has received no coverage despite paying premiums, is the co-plaintiff in the lawsuit.
“There are hundreds, if not thousands, of Nevadans who have been paying premiums for 2, 3, 4 months, not receiving any coverage whatsoever,” Callister told KTNV-TV. “I talked to a mom an hour ago who has skin cancer and she can’t go in to have her skin cancer treatment because her doctor says, ‘Who is your carrier?’”
As of Saturday, 40,500 consumers had selected qualified health plans through the exchange. Of those, 24,000 had paid for coverage, the Associated Press reports.
Callister noted that the lawsuit is not an attack on the Affordable Care Act or the state’s insurance exchange.
“This has nothing to do with the ACA. This is 100 percent about Xerox, who won the bid from the state of Nevada to create this exchange. And they’ve failed. They absolutely failed,” Callister told the Review-Journal.
“I just want to get people covered who paid for coverage,” Callister said. “State law said that’s what’s supposed to happen.”
So now we’ve gone from “If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor - but you don’t keep your doctor” to “Now you can have health insurance - but you don’t get health insurance”.
Did anyone check hary, the crook/liar, reids bank account?
Let the lawsuits begin. Lawyers nationwide are very pleased.
But see how quick they come to defend ACA? If it wasn’t for the ACA, none of this would have happened.
Sue away, take the state for all it’s got, crash the system. While your at it, see if Reid and family has had their hands in the contract negoations....sue Harry too
I cant believe this is true,
Yesterday Obama said that everyone who wants coverage has it.
That no one can be denied coverage anymore.
And don’t call him the L word, that’s racist.
The ObamaCare suckcess stories continue piling up as Obama/Reid complete their victory lap.
It is way past time for a tax revolt in this country.
I love my country but I hate this government. HATE IT!
False, it has everything to do with ACA Zer0care. There may be other parties involved, but let's start with Zer0 and his prize legislation.
*crickets*
I have no sympathy at all for anyone who voted Obama in either 2008 or 2012. They tried to steal from me, and if they are the victims of theft by the crony capitalists they planned to use against decent people, I’m okay with that. I have relatively little sympathy for anyone who chose ObamaCare, regardless of their votes. They chose to play a crooked game, and it shouldn’t surprise them that the game is crooked.
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