Judge Dismisses Tribe’s ERISA Claim Against Blue Cross Blue Shield

Mealey's (August 4, 2016, 1:52 PM EDT) -- BAY CITY, Mich. — An Indian tribe’s claim that its health care plan administrator violated the Employee Retirement Income Security Act fails because the tribe cannot establish that the administrator had a fiduciary duty under ERISA to ensure payment of Medicare-like rates (MLRs) for certain health services, a Michigan federal judge ruled Aug. 3 in dismissing the claim (Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe of Michigan, et al. v. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan, No. 16-cv-10317, E.D. Mich.; 2016 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 101610)....