U.S. Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer approved a proposed settlement between Tenet Healthcare Corporation and uninsured patients who received care at Tenet facilities nationwide.
The suit was originally filed in 2002 and claimed that uninsured patients were charged excessive prices at 114 hospitals owned and operated by Tenet Healthcare in 16 states. The suit claimed that Tenet took advantage of the uninsured and working poor who did not have the economic leverage to negotiate lower rates, while giving discounts to HMO's and other large payers.
Attorneys representing healthcare consumers today announced they have reached a proposed nationwide settlement with Tenet Healthcare Corporation (NYSE: THC). Originally filed in December 2002, the lawsuit claimed that patients not covered by insurance plans were charged excessive prices at 114 hospitals owned and operated by Tenet subsidiaries in 16 different states.
The settlement class includes any uninsured patient who received medically necessary services at any of its hospitals between June 15, 1999 and Dec. 31, 2004, and paid for services based on the hospital's gross charges. Under the terms of the proposed settlement, Tenet has agreed to refund amounts paid in excess of certain thresholds. The specific percentage of reimbursement varies depending on the year the patient was treated.
CASE TIMELINE
On Aug. 8, 2005 U.S. Superior Court Judge Wendell Mortimer approved a proposed settlement between Tenet Healthcare Corporation and uninsured patients who received care at Tenet facilities nationwide. The settlement agreement, class notice, benefits of the proposed agreement and other settlement information is available for plaintiffs.
