Late last year, amputees sued three insurance companies for their failure to provide computerized prostheses to their customers. The plaintiffs in the cases are seeking to turn the lawsuits into class actions.
The insurance companies that were sued are Anthem, United Healthcare, and Blue Shield. The lawsuits were filed in California. Each lawsuit was filed by two individuals suffering from limb loss, whose claims for microprocessor-controlled prostheses were denied. The lawsuits allege that the companies offered various justifications for why the prostheses are not necessary, such as claiming that they are “investigational”, “not medically necessary”, or that other, less expensive prostheses will meet all of the amputee’s needs.
The lawsuits claim that microprocessor-controlled prostheses have been in use for decades and are not experimental or investigational, but instead are regularly prescribed to amputees. The lawsuit also claims that although insurance companies claim that a less-expensive, body powered prosthesis will meet the amputee’s needs, microprocessor-controlled prostheses offer significant benefits to amputees when compared with basic body-powered limbs.
If you are suffering from limb loss, and your insurance company has denied your claim for a prosthesis, call me, Conal Doyle, Los Angeles personal injury attorney, at 310-385-0567. I am working on the lawsuits against insurance companies and will be happy to help. Call today to learn more or to schedule a free consultation.