Chevron deference ruling to two health plans filing a proposed class action lawsuit against Hartford HealthCare, here are 10 healthcare industry lawsuits, settlements and legal developments Becker's reported since June 26:
1. Montefiore St. Luke's Cornwall in Newburgh, N.Y., is facing a $21 million lawsuit filed by an anesthesiologist group that claims the hospital breached an exclusive contract to use the group's physicians for its anesthesia services.
2. In the wake of the Supreme Court's overturning of Chevron deference, Edison, N.J.-based Hackensack Meridian Health filed a lawsuit against HHS Secretary Xavier Becerra challenging what the system calls the secretary's "irrational and unlawful interpretation of the statutes he is entrusted to administer."
3. Former patients are joining a class action lawsuit filed against Danville, Pa.-based Geisinger asking for compensation after a data breach that affected around 1 million patients.
4. Rishi Shah, co-founder and former CEO of healthcare technology startup Outcome Health, was sentenced to seven and a half years in prison for his role in a scheme involving about $1 billion in fraudulently obtained funds.
5. A federal jury awarded a former BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee employee nearly $700,000 after she was terminated for refusing to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in 2021.
6. OptumRx will pay $20 million to settle allegations it improperly dispensed some opioid medications.
7. The Justice Department filed criminal charges against 193 defendants for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud schemes that involved around $2.75 billion in intended losses and $1.6 billion in actual losses.
8. Two health plans filed a proposed class action lawsuit against Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare alleging unlawful monopolization and price fixing. The health plans allege Hartford's dominance in the area allowed the system to inflate prices.
9. The Supreme Court ruled in favor of permitting emergency abortions in Idaho to protect maternal health.
10. Cook Children's Health Plan is challenging Texas's Medicaid contract awards in court. The plan, owned by Fort Worth-based Cook Children's Health Care System, was not awarded a contract to manage Texas's STAR and CHIP programs. Cook Children's executives have previously said the plan will likely shut down if it is denied a Medicaid contract from the state.