9th Circuit: CIGA Is Not A Primary Plan, Has No Duty To Repay For Medicare Payments

Mealey's (October 11, 2019, 1:20 PM EDT) -- SAN FRANCISCO — Because California Insurance Guarantee Association (CIGA) is not a primary plan under the Medicare Act’s secondary payer provisions, the Ninth Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruled Oct. 10 that CIGA has no obligation to reimburse the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) for conditional payments made on behalf of insureds under workers’ compensation plans that become insolvent (California Insurance Guarantee Association v. Alex Azar II, et al., Nos. 17-56526 & 17-56528, 9th Cir., 2019 U.S. App. LEXIS 30339)....