Yost takes insurer to court over first responders’ unpaid medical bills

COLUMBUS — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost is taking legal action to block an entity from engaging in the business of insurance in Ohio after it failed to obtain a required license and stopped covering medical bills for retired first responders, putting them on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars.

In a motion filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Yost on behalf of the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI), is seeking a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Thin Blue Line Benefits Association, LLC ("Thin Blue Line"), a Texas limited liability company that sells health insurance coverage to police officers, firefighters and civilian support workers. Yost also is seeking to have ODI appointed as conservator in order to preserve the company's assets and take other action to protect the public.

"In Ohio you can't drive without a license, just as you can't sell insurance without a license — there are consequences for both," Yost said. "This company lied to first responders and misrepresented their services, creating a whirlwind of uncertainty and financial straits.

The company's insurance policies are supposed to cover the period between retirement and age 65, when Medicare eligibility takes effect. But by November 2024, two months into the start of the plan year and without any notice, the company had stopped paying medical claims, leaving many of its 3,400 policyholders in Ohio with massive medical bills — more than $270,000 in at least one case — and facing potential threats of collection from health-care providers if they are unable to pay.

Policyholders reported that the company was unresponsive when they called to try to resolve the unpaid claims.

According to the court filing, Thin Blue Line is operating illegally in the state, having never obtained a required license from ODI, which regulates entities offering health insurance products in Ohio. Yost says the company is engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices by conducting insurance business without a required license and by failing to live up to the terms of its insurance plans.

The motion, filed on behalf of ODI, seeks to ban Thin Blue Line from continuing its illegal activity in the state, including:

Conducting insurance business without a required license.Advertising health insurance plans.Enrolling new members.Collecting monthly premiums from policyholders, which range from $778 to $3,005 a month.

Yost urges the court to act quickly, emphasizing that Ohio's retired first responders face an ongoing risk of harm.

"Each day that Thin Blue Line holds itself out as a health insurer, accepts monthly premiums from policyholders, and fails to pay claims it owes to medical providers is another day of enormous harm to retired first responders."

Policyholders are encouraged to look into their own policy regarding coverage and not immediately terminate their policy, which could create a lapse in coverage. Those with questions or concerns — or anyone impacted by Thin Blue Line — should contact ODI's consumer services division at 800-686-1526.