Greene et al. v. Healthfirst PHSP Inc.

Potential Impact:

Why This Matters:

Plaintiffs, in a class action lawsuit, allege that a private health insurer maintains a “ghost network” of mental health care providers in violation of the No Surprises Act, the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act, contract law, and state unfair business practice laws. Insurers have been accused of maintaining “ghost networks,” which are provider directories that overstate a plan’s in-network providers through significant errors, duplications, and other inaccuracies. Plaintiffs allege that the insurer does so to artificially inflate its provider network, making the plan appear to have more robust in-network coverage than is actually available.

Potential Impact:

“Ghost networks” can mislead patients, prevent patients from evaluating their coverage options, and force patients to obtain behavioral health care from out-of-network providers or forego treatment altogether.