Rathbun v. Health Net of the Northeast, Inc.

The named plaintiff in this putative class action and her daughter (together, Plaintiffs) were injured in motor vehicle accidents. Defendant, which administered the Medicaid program for the state and was the designated assignee of the Department of Social Services under Conn. Gen. Stat. 17b-265, paid for the medical care that Plaintiffs received as a result of their injuries. After Plaintiffs brought civil actions against the tortfeasors, Defendant, acting through its agent, sought to recover from Plaintiffs the amounts they recovered from the tortfeasors as reimbursement for the payments made by Defendant for Plaintiffs’ medical care. Plaintiffs brought this action seeking, inter alia, a declaratory judgment that section 17b-265 did not authorize Defendant to seek reimbursement from them but required Defendant to seek recovery directly from the liable third parties. The trial court granted summary judgment for Defendant. The Appellate Court affirmed. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the Appellate Court did not err in concluding that section 17b-265 permitted Defendant to seek reimbursement from Plaintiffs and other similarly situated persons for amounts that they recover from liable third parities for medical costs. View "Rathbun v. Health Net of the Northeast, Inc." on Justia Law