Anthem Blue Cross And Blue Shield In Kentucky And Ohio Reach Agreement With Physicians

CINCINNATI, Sept. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- The Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield plans in Kentucky and Ohio have reached an agreement with Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky physicians involved in lawsuits filed in 2002 against several insurers. The agreement has been granted preliminary approval by the Boone Circuit Court (in Kentucky) and the Hamilton County Court of Common Pleas (in Ohio).

The settlement increases total reimbursements for physicians in the Greater Cincinnati/ Northern Kentucky area over the next three years. Additionally, $2.75 million will be used to create a charitable foundation to assist physicians in recruiting doctors to the area and to provide funds to bring medical care to the underserved.

“We believe this settlement is in the best interest of everyone, including physicians and our members, and builds on our close relationships with physicians,” said Keith Faller, President and CEO, WellPoint Central Region. “The creation of the foundation is an innovative step toward continuing to build upon the region’s already high-quality, affordable health care system.”

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in Kentucky and Ohio are subsidiaries of WellPoint, Inc. . WellPoint, Inc. is an independent licensee of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association and serves its members as the Blue Cross licensee for California; the Blue Cross and Blue Shield licensee for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri (excluding 30 counties in the Kansas City area), Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia (excluding the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, D.C.), Wisconsin; and through HealthLink and UniCare. Additional information about WellPoint is available at http://www.wellpoint.com .

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

CONTACT: Debbie Davis of Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield,+1-317-488-6207

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