West Virginia Hospital Sued Over Cuts to Retiree Health Coverage

Two retired hospital workers filed a federal lawsuit accusing West Virginia’s Cabell Huntington Hospital of terminating retiree health coverage after repeatedly telling non-union workers they would receive lifetime coverage if they stayed with the company for at least 17 years.

The proposed class action, docketed Wednesday in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia, challenges Cabell Huntington’s plans to terminate welfare benefits for non-union retirees in September. Plaintiffs Martha Blenko and Laura Mullarky say the company repeatedly informed them both verbally and in writing that these benefits would continue for the remainder of their lifetimes, which ...