CIGNA Category A Checks Are in the Mail
[Posted 05/26/05]

Physicians who filed “no documentation required” Category A claims under the CIGNA settlement will soon begin receiving their checks. According to the settlement administrator, the first batch of Category A checks was mailed today.

The pro rata share of the settlement for physicians in active practice is $166. Retired and deceased physicians, who will not benefit from the settlement’s prospective relief, will receive twice as much as actively practicing physicians.

Physicians who submitted claims directly to the settlement administrator will receive their checks as early as next week. Physicians who submitted claims through Managed Care Advisory Group (MCAG) should begin receiving their checks—minus MCAG’s filing fee—within two weeks.

Claims submitted to the Claim Distribution Fund, which required physicians to provide documentation, are still being processed.

As previously reported in CMA Alert, some physicians who filed for damages under the Claim Distribution Fund had their claims denied in error by the settlement administrator. CMA members who need assistance challenging a CIGNA claim “defection” can contact the association’s legal information specialists at 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.

CMA again encourages physicians to donate all or part of their settlement to the CMA Foundation to support its good works. Donations are tax deductible and will be used to support programs uniquely designed to help physicians and their patients, including the Medical Student Mini-Grant Program and the foundation’s efforts to address ethnic and racial disparities in health care. The foundation also supports projects in the areas of women’s health, Type 2 diabetes, and obesity.

To make a donation, send a check to: CMA Foundation, 1201 J Street, Suite 350, Sacramento, CA 95814.

Contact: CMA's legal information line, 415/882-5144 or legalinfo@cmanet.org.