Insurers Accused of Conspiring to Deny Lyme Disease Coverage
QUOTE- "The defendant medical doctors are Gary P. Wormser, Raymond J. Dattwyler, Eugene Shapiro, John J. Halperin, Robert B. Nadelman, Leonard Sigal and Allen Steere."
QUOTE- "Torrey sued the IDSA, Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association, Blue Cross and Blue Shied of Texas, Anthem Inc., Aetna Inc., Cigna Corp., Kaiser Permanente Inc., United HealthCare Services Inc., UnitedHealth Group and several medical doctors."
We just need them to win the lawsuit.
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
Wow Tincup. . . You are on a roll ! ! !
So very glad to have you back Posted by Robin123 (Member # 9197) on :
This is a huge lawsuit - it's about time!!! Long overdue...
Posted by HW88 (Member # 48309) on :
Hope we win!!!!
Posted by Lymetoo (Member # 743) on :
Pray NOW!
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Here is the actual court document regarding the case above. Long read, but very interesting.
Can't wait till the law suit, Part 2, 3 4 and more get going! My bet is they will be filed against more insurers and IDSA supporters and those involved in the conspiracy.
Yes, a win would be fantastic, but as some people know, the ride to get to the end can be a lot of fun too.
I sure wouldn't want to be on the Camp A team if I were them! Not only were they smeared as the bad example for how to write guidelines (by the IOM), this might just cost them a bit of money.
Posted by DaveNJ (Member # 17362) on :
if for some reason the plaintiffs win I believe it could be a game changer.
Dave
Posted by Bartenderbonnie (Member # 49177) on :
Tears of joy rolling down my face, best thing I ve ever read !
I especially LOVE the part where it lists the IDSA Panelist's Defendants Names :
Dr Gary Wormser Dr Raymond Dattwyler Dr Eugene Shapiro Dr John Halperin Dr Robert Nadelman Dr Leonard Sigal Dr Allen Steere
and it lists all their addresses of where they can be served notices !
The very next case filed should be a criminal proceeding with " crimes against humanity" charges !
P.S. It's sad that in the year 2017 we cannot post our LLMD's names, the very doctors that save our lives, but hopefully that will change SOON. These doctors should have the recognition they so rightfully deserve. Battle warriors. . . .
Posted by TX Lyme Mom (Member # 3162) on :
At first, I was surprised to see that this law suit was filed in Texas, but then it finally dawned on me that the IDSA home office is located in San Antonio, TX.
I am acquainted with only one of the Texas plaintiffs, the late David Kocurek. PhD, who was on the board of our TxLDA for many years and who was one of our most knowledgeable Lyme advocates and political activists.
An updated version of the IDSA Treatment Guidelines was supposed to have been released this fall (2017), but they have not yet been posted on-line yet, as far as I know. Does anyone have any thoughts about what's going on and when to expect them to be published?
My only other major concern is whether this group will have the necessary economic resources to win because I anticipate that this will become a very expensive contest indeed.
Does anyone know if there is any kind of fund-raising effort in support of this law suit and, if so, how to contribute to it?
Posted by TX Lyme Mom (Member # 3162) on :
quote:Originally posted by TX Lyme Mom: An updated version of the IDSA Treatment Guidelines for Lyme disease was supposed to have been released this fall (2017), but they have not yet been posted on-line yet, as far as I know. Does anyone have any thoughts about what's going on and when to expect them to be published?
Good idea to have a place for folks to contribute. I suppose that's up to the 28 plaintiffs to get organized. If someone wants to contact them - hint, hint -
I have a feeling the money will be coming in to help fight. Patients number in the millions now.
Posted by TNT (Member # 42349) on :
Yes, it would be nice if a crowd-funding account could be set up. It would also be good if someone would post this on John Caudwell's Facebook page. He might be interested in helping the cause. He has deep pockets (a UK billionaire) and he has been battling against the misinformation of chronic Lyme disease. He has even taken an interest in blood microscopy to further reinforce his family members' positive lyme tests. Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
Yes BB... such great news! I join in the excitement.
TX Lyme Mom... I've always thought the IDSA headquarters was in Virginia. They have another one in Texas? BTW- I miss David too.
As for the new guidelines... my thought- nothing to back it up- is that they can't make their lies fit into the new rules for writing guidelines.
Not only could they not do it, they transferred the work over to Tuft's and they don't seem to be able to either.
And there was a time not long ago when the IDSA guideline authors and their rose buds were publishing a LOT more garbage than normal, as if in a frenzy to make up studies to support their crazy theories.
I referred to it as "fluff". It had nothing new and was a rehashing of their same old same old.
Could the law suit and depositions, etc. have put an added hitch in their giddy ups too? Could be. I don't know, but something has them still locked up in the barn.
Guess it is a choice between stupid and evil. Take your pick!
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
BTW- Not to worry about raising money or funding the legal action.
[ 11-18-2017, 11:26 PM: Message edited by: Robin123 ]
Posted by TX Lyme Mom (Member # 3162) on :
After reading the entire court document, I'm starting to become optimistic that this case will indeed be successful because it is a brilliant exposition of supporting documentation which has been building up over the last two decades.
I recall that the idea of a RICO (racketeering) case was first mentioned as early as 2002 when I attended an LDF Conf. in CT. However, Lorraine Johnson explained at an ILADS Conf. approx. ten years ago that RICO cases are very difficult to prove, so that's why they, including CT AG Blumenthal, had opted for basing their approach on Sherman Anti-Trust statutes instead.
It should be easier (and less costly to the plaintiffs) to win a civil case with treble damages than to file a criminal case. This is the smart way to go!
Furthermore, a jury trial is demanded, (See pg. 51 of the court document)
If successful, then I suspect that this case will set a precedent and will open the flood gates for future court challenges by other plaintiffs nationwide.
Another thought is that Texas is an ideal venue because we are in the 5th District which is known to be very conservative and which is therefore more likely to uphold a favorable verdict upon appeal later by the defendants.
Likewise, it will be much easier to find sympathetic jurors down here in this part of the country than in other highly endemic areas where Lyme has received so much negative media bias fostered by mainstream advocates.
Posted by Tincup (Member # 5829) on :
New article in the Huffington Post on law suit brought by patients against IDSA, etc.
QUOTE- "...the federal government invests only a token amount of money in Lyme disease research, with approximately $75 federal research dollars spent per Lyme patient, compared to $68,000 per HIV patient and $220,000 per Zika virus patient."
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