First-Of-Its-Kind Lawsuit Claims Pharma’s Role In Opioid Crisis Led To Higher Premiums For Everyone
The industry is already defending itself against hundreds of lawsuits filed by cities and states, but this challenge takes a different route. “Insurance companies factored in the unwarranted and exorbitant healthcare costs of opioid-related coverage caused by defendants and charged that back to insureds in the form of higher premiums, deductibles, and co-payments,” the complaints allege. Meanwhile, experts weigh in on the opioid package moving through Congress.
The Wall Street Journal:
New Front On Opioid Litigation: Suits Over Rising Premiums
The opioid epidemic has unfairly increased health insurance costs across the board, not just for those suffering from addiction, plaintiffs allege in five proposed class-action lawsuits filed Wednesday. The suits, brought on behalf of people and businesses who have paid for health insurance in California, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey and New York since 1996, represent a new front in litigation seeking to hold corporations accountable for the opioid crisis. (Randazzo, 5/2)
Bloomberg:
Opioid Makers Sued For Premium Hikes In First-Of-Kind Cases
The suits open another front in the burgeoning litigation against drugmakers including Purdue Pharma Inc. and the Janssen Pharmaceuticals unit of Johnson & Johnson and distributors such as McKesson Corp. and Cardinal Health Inc. The suits, which seek unspecified damages, seek to represent people who bought health insurance policies in those states since 1996. "All of the defendants in this action share responsibility for creating, sustaining and prolonging the opioid epidemic" in pursuit of corporate revenue, lead plaintiff Edward Grace alleges in a complaint filed Wednesday in Boston. (Harris and Hurtado, 5/2)