9th Circuit Affirms Hospital's Judgment, Finds Anti-Assignment Clause Flawed

Mealey's (October 6, 2020, 1:55 PM EDT) -- SACRAMENTO, Calif. — A purported anti-assignment provision falls outside governing Employee Retirement Income Security Act health insurance plan documents, but even if applicable, the language would not support excluding assignment or payment to a provider, a divided Ninth Circuit U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Oct. 2 in affirming judgment in favor of a hospital (Martin Luther King Jr. Community Hospital v. Community Insurance Co., et al., No. 19-55052, 9th Cir., 2020 U.S. App. LEXIS 31441)....