DaVita’s Kidney Disease Discrimination Claim Fails in Ohio

An Ohio hospital health plan that won a US Supreme Court victory in a lawsuit over kidney disease coverage defeated lingering claims that it unlawfully discriminated against patients battling the illness.

Marietta Memorial Hospital Employee Health Benefit Plan didn’t discriminate against patients with end-stage renal disease when it amended its plan to single out outpatient dialysis treatment for less generous coverage, Judge Sarah D. Morrison of the US District Court for the Southern District of Ohio said Tuesday. There’s no clear evidence showing Marietta acted with a discriminatory intent under the Employee Retirement Income Security Act when it made this ...