The initial lawsuit from the California Medical Association cited the Unfair Competition Law after Aetna allegedly limited in-network physicians from referring patients to those out of network, which conflicted with their medical judgment, according to the California Lawyers Association.
In mid-July, the California Medical Association called for review of a state appellate court’s decision on its lawsuit, which favored Aetna. The court agreed with Aetna’s argument that the physician organization didn’t show it was directly harmed by the policy.
The association’s petition for review was granted July 28, and the California Supreme Court will hear the case.
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