Home Important Dates Notice Claim Form Request Exclusion Plan of Allocation Pleadings FAQ Submit Additional Information

Welcome to the Blue Shield of California
Settlement Claims Administration Website

A settlement has been approved in the class action lawsuit known as Lehman v. Blue Shield of California, Case No. CGC-03-419349, in the Superior Court of California for San Francisco County. Blue Shield and the Claims Administrators are in the process of completing their review of all claims for accuracy and completeness, and expect to complete this process by September 30, 2006. Once all claims are processed, we expect payments to go out to all valid claimants within 120 days.

We cannot tell individual class members the amounts of their settlement payments at this time.

The lawsuit, filed in April 2003, concerns revisions made in 2002 by Blue Shield to its risk rating structure, which affects the rates subscribers are assessed for Blue Shield's health plans.

The lawsuit alleged that the tier revision had the effect of raising rates for certain subscribers. Plaintiff asserted that the tier changes and the method used to place subscribers in the new tiers were inconsistent with Blue Shield’s subscriber agreements, that they were not made in good faith, that they were inconsistent with representations previously made by Blue Shield, and that Blue Shield improperly failed to disclose the tier changes to subscribers.

The Court has not ruled on the merits of any of Plaintiff’s claims or Blue Shield’s defenses. Plaintiff and Blue Shield have negotiated a class action settlement under which Blue Shield agrees to pay a total of $6.5 million to settle all class members’ claims arising out of its 2002 risk tier revisions. The money will be used to make payments to class members pursuant to the Plan Of Allocation; pay notice and administrative costs; pay the award of attorneys’ fees and expenses that the Court approved for Plaintiff’s counsel; and pay the incentive award that the Court approved for the named Plaintiff.

Class definition: All Subscribers who on March 31, 2002, were enrolled in a Blue Shield of California Individual and Family Plan, and between April 1, 2002 and June 30, 2002 were placed into Tiers 2, 3, 4 or 5 following Blue Shield’s revision of its risk rating tier structure. If you fall within the class definition, the Notice tells you how to protect your rights and how to participate in the settlement. Please read it carefully.

Please be advised that the deadline to file electronically or mail in your claim form has passed.




PLEASE DO NOT CONTACT THE COURT FOR INFORMATION REGARDING THE SETTLEMENT

PLEASE NOTE THE FOLLOWING IMPORTANT DATES:

April 11, 2006
[Expired]


 Deadline to Submit a Claim Form by U.S. Mail
April 11, 2006
[Expired]


 Deadline to Submit a Claim Form Electronically
March 27, 2006
    at 9:30 a.m.
[Approved]

 The Settlement received Final Approval.
March 21, 2006
[Expired]

 For all Class members whose Notice is dated February 3, 2006, the deadline to comment in support of or in opposition to the Settlement has expired.
March 21, 2006
[Expired]


 For all Class members whose Notice is dated February 3, 2006, the deadline to request exclusion from the Settlement Class has expired.
February 3, 2006
[Adjourned]


 The Court considered the comments in support of and in opposition to the Settlement from Class members whose Notice is dated November 30, 2005. The Court adjourned the hearing to March 27, 2006 to consider comments in support of or in opposition to the Settlement from Class members whose Notice is dated February 3, 2006.
January 20, 2006
[Expired]


 For all Class members whose Notice is dated November 30, 2005, the deadline to request exclusion from the Settlement has expired. To locate the date of your Notice, please review the bottom of the last page of the Notice.
January 20, 2006
[Expired]


 For all Class members whose Notice is dated November 30, 2005, the deadline to comment in support of and in opposition to the Settlement has expired.