Anthem Agrees To Health Insurance Settlement

Reported by: Hagit Limor

10/1/2005 10:56:41 AM



If you've found yourself waiting longer for doctors' appointments, you'll want to know about a huge court settlement on Friday.



The settlement comes almost four years after the I-Team exposed a brewing health care crisis in the region.



Doctors complained that health insurers were paying less for their services than they paid doctors in other areas.



After the I-Team report detailing problems for patients, the doctors sued four insurance companies.



On Friday, the largest one, Anthem, agreed to pay $160 million to increased doctors' reimbursements.



What's more, Anthem will pay another $2.75 million to create a charitable foundation that will recruit new doctors here and work to keep the ones we have.



Anthem makes for the third insurer to settle, after Humana and Aetna.



United Healthcare still is fighting the suit which claims the insurers colluded to fix low prices that drove away doctors to other, better-paying areas.



Hopefully with this settlement, the tide will continue to turn.