Abbott Laboratories Hit With Lawsuit Over Healthcare Costs (1)

Abbott Laboratories was sued Wednesday by a former employee complaining the drug maker is offering workers two healthcare plan options that are largely the same but differently named, with one costing more than the other.

Napoleon J. A. Ebarle III alleges Abbott is violating the Employee Retirement Income Security Act by offering workers “two, materially identical healthcare plans, one of which costs more than the other at every level of medical utilization.” Abbott’s traditional PPO has a lower deductible than the Health Investment Plan PPO offered to employees, but higher premiums so it costs more at every enrollment tier.

The ...