E.S. v Regence BlueShield

Two individuals who need hearing aids sued Regence BlueShield and Cambia Health Solutions, Inc. (collectively “Regence”) in a class action lawsuit. Regence excluded hearing aids and associated services in some of its Washington health plans, and the individuals maintain that such exclusions violated the law.

The two individuals, called the “Named Plaintiffs,” and Regence reached a settlement agreement in which Regence would pay $3,000,000 to a settlement fund to reimburse Class Members who submitted claims for uncovered expenses for hearing aids and associated services incurred from October 30, 2014, through December 31, 2025.

The U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington preliminarily approved the settlement agreement and ordered notice to go to all Regence enrollees in Washington health plans that did not include hearing aid coverage from October 30, 2014, through December 31, 2025.

Settlement Class Members are defined in the Settlement Agreement as:

All individuals who: (1) were insured at any time during the Settlement Class Period under a Washington health insurance plan that has been, is or will be delivered, issued for delivery, or renewed by Regence BlueShield and/or Cambia Health Solutions Inc. or its affiliates or subsidiaries (collectively, “Regence”), that excluded or limited coverage for Hearing Aids and Associated Services, except for insureds enrolled in large group plans from January 1, 2024 to the Effective Date, and (2) incurred unreimbursed out-of-pocket expenses in obtaining medically necessary Hearing Aids and Associated Services during the Settlement Class Period.

You can contact the Notice and Claims Processor by email at Info@WAHearingAidSettlement.com or by phone at 1-877-706-9538 (toll-free) or 1-877-721-6680 (TTY). You may also contact Class Counsel, Sirianni Youtz Spoonemore Hamburger, by visiting https://www.symslaw.com or emailing WAHearingAidSettlement@sylaw.com.