THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Friday, September 2, 1994 TAG: 9409020607
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS
DATELINE: RICHMOND LENGTH: Short : 28 lines
Three people covered by Trigon health insurance have filed a lawsuit against the insurer over its former practice of not passing on hospital discounts it negotiated.
Their class-action suit suggests that virtually all individuals covered by Trigon through insurance plans and health maintenance organizations would be entitled to damages.
One of the plaintiffs, Nancy L. Ambrose of Richmond, alleged she made a co-payment of $2,400 on a hospital bill she was told was slightly more than $10,000. But she said an itemized bill showed Trigon paid only $1,200 toward the bill because it had negotiated a discount.
Another plaintiff, Dr. Habib Guirguis of Richmond, said he received a hospital bill that Trigon had approved that was three times the hospital's listed rate. by CNB