Drug Abuse Centers Advance Lawsuit Against Blue Cross Michigan

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan must face a federal lawsuit by a group of medical providers who say the insurer slashed reimbursement rates for substance abuse treatments in the midst of the worsening opioid epidemic.

Blue Cross Michigan argued it wasn’t the right defendant for many of the providers’ claims, because most of the relevant patients were covered by other Blue Cross or Blue Shield carriers, with Blue Cross Michigan merely processing claims on behalf of these other entities.

Judge Janet T. Neff of the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Michigan declined to dismiss the case ...