Aetna Signs Deal Worth $650,000 to End Liposuction Coverage Suit

Aetna Life Insurance Co. will continue covering liposuction for certain lipedema patients and pay up to $650,000 to resolve a 25-person class action challenging its prior coverage policies.

The settlement, announced Thursday in the US District Court for the Northern District of California, reflects Aetna’s “post-litigation” decision to cover liposuction when medically necessary to treat lipedema. Aetna will continue to follow that policy absent a change in the scientific evidence, and it will pay up to $650,000 to reimburse class members who paid out-of-pocket for the procedure.

• The lawsuit says Aetna incorrectly treated liposuction surgery as cosmetic and therefore ...