After judge dismisses lawsuit, Regence BlueShield of Idaho remains state employee health insurer
Originally published
An
That means
Borton wrote in his ruling that even “construing the record in a light most favorable to Plaintiff (
The judge wrote that he didn’t “find evidence to establish” that the new contracting process, called an invitation to negotiate, “was causally connected to the expiration and nonrenewal of the health insurance contract between Plaintiff and the State.”
Idaho’s state health insurance plan covers around 62,000 people. That includes more than 25,000 employees and over 35,000 of their family members.
In July,
That was the first time
A Regence spokesperson told the Sun the state’s process to award the contract was fair.
“Regence BlueShield of
“We are disappointed that the district court did not address whether the purchasing process was lawful, and are considering appealing,” he said in a statement. “There was not a lawful bidding process used to obtain the best possible value for health insurance for the tens-of-thousands of state employees and their families.”
HOW THE INSURANCE SWAP HAPPENED, AND WHAT THE JUDGE RULED
In March,
Regence was not a named party in the lawsuit, which
The new, since-revoked contracting process, used by the
In 2019, the
But Borton wrote in his ruling that
The judge wrote that
Rumbeck, Blue Cross’s spokesperson, told the Sun that after
“The highest level of trust and transparency should exist when it comes to a bid of this importance by our state government,” he said.
Determining standing — or whether someone has a right to sue — is a question that must be addressed “before reaching the merits of the case,” the judge wrote.
Borton ruled
ANOTHER LAWSUIT BY BLUE CROSS REMAINS ON HOLD
Blue Cross’s lawsuit challenging the contract came months after the insurer separately sued
State officials used Alera’s figures to award Regence the contract. Early numbers — which state officials say were too flawed to use — suggested
In January, an
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