Aetna Gets Court to Trim Suit Over $89,725 Air Ambulance Ride

Aetna Life Insurance Co. defeated the bulk of a lawsuit challenging its refusal to cover an $89,725 medical bill for emergency transportation by helicopter, but it must face the air ambulance company’s claim for wrongfully withheld benefits under ERISA, a Utah federal judge ruled.

Aetna argued that air ambulance operator Classic Air Care LLC lacked standing to bring a benefits lawsuit under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act, because Aetna’s health plan barred patients from assigning their rights under the plan to medical providers like Classic Air.

Judge Tena Campbell of the U.S. District Court for the District of Utah...