ERISA Doesn't Govern Eligibility Contract Between Employer and HMO
According to the EBIA., Carolina Care Plan – the HMO –
paid more than $650,000 in medical claims and continued to
pay the premiums for a former employee of Auddie Brown Auto
Sales of Florence, Inc., even after the employee had been
terminated.
The contract between the Carolina Care and Auddie Brown was
such that the company was responsible for checking plan
eligibility. Carolina Care sued Auddie Brown in state
court, claiming negligence; however, Auddie Brown contended
that the suit belonged in federal court.
The federal judge sent the case back to the state
court, saying that even though Carolina Care was a
fiduciary when deciding claims under the employer’s
ERISA plan, it was not a fiduciary when relying on the
employer’s certification of eligibility status in
paying claims.
The district court further noted that the HMO/employer
contract that required the employer to inform Carolina Care
about eligibility changes was different from the terms of
the employer’s ERISA plan, in that the HMO’s claim
against the company would not require the court to
interpret the ERISA plan at all.
The case is Carolina Care Plan, Inc. v. Auddie Brown Auto
Sales of Florence, Inc, D.N.C. 2007.