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Coordination of Benefits

The following information pertains to group health care plans that may be coordinating how benefits are paid between a Leidos health care plan and another plan.

Releasing and Obtaining Information

The health care plans reserve the right to release to, or obtain from, any other insurance company or other organization or person any information that, in its opinion, it needs for the purpose of coordination of benefits, provided that any and all determinations or actions described in the foregoing are subject to applicable law. 

Subrogation and Reimbursement

This section applies when the Plan pays claims for the treatment of an illness, injury, or condition for which a third party is responsible (for example, when the Plan pays claims for the treatment of an illness, injury or condition caused by an automobile accident or another’s negligence). For purposes of this section, the term "third party" may include, but will not be limited to, any one or more of the following:

  • the party or parties who caused the illness, injury, or condition;
  • the insurer, guarantor, or other indemnifier of the party or parties who caused the illness, injury, or condition;
  • the covered participant or dependent’s own insurer (for example, uninsured, underinsured, med-pay, no fault coverage, and homeowners);
  • a worker’s compensation insurer; and/or
  • any other person, entity, policy, healthcare plan, or insurer that is liable or legally responsible in relation to the illness, injury, or condition.

The Plan shall have a first priority lien for the first dollars paid or payable by any third party with respect to an illness, injury, or condition of the participant or dependent for which such third party is, or may be held, liable or legally responsible.  The amount of such lien will equal the lesser of: (i) the amount of benefits paid by Plan for the illness, injury, or condition, plus the amount of all future benefits which may become payable under the Plan due to the illness, injury, or condition, or (ii) the amount recoverable from the  third party.

Reimbursement from Third Party Recoveries

The participant or dependent agrees to repay the Plan first from any money or other benefit recovered from the third party who is, or may be held to be, liable or legally responsible for the illness, injury, or

condition giving rise to the paid benefits. The obligation to repay applies:

  • whether the payment received from the third party is the result of a legal judgment, arbitration award, compromise, settlement, or any other arrangement;
  • regardless of whether the third party has admitted liability for the payment;
  • regardless of whether the charges are itemized in the third party’s payment or whether the third party’s payment is structured as a settlement for pain and suffering or in any other manner which does not itemize charges;
  • regardless of whether the participant or dependent has incurred, or agreed to pay, any costs or charges in relation to seeming the recovery from the third party; and
  • regardless of whether the participant or dependent is made whole by the payment.

If such a recovery is made and the Plan is not reimbursed as required herein, then the participant, dependent, estate, or legal representative will be liable to the Plan for the amount of the benefits paid under the Plan for such illness, injury, or condition. 

Subrogation of Rights Against Third Parties

Each participant and dependent transfers and assigns to the Plan the option, at the Plan’s sole discretion, to exercise all rights to take legal action against third parties arising from any illness, injury, or condition for which such third parties are or may be held liable or legally responsible.  That is, the Plan may take over the participant's and dependent's right to receive payments from the third party to the extent of the benefits paid or payable plus the Plan's reasonable costs of collection.  This includes, without limitation, the right to any recovered funds paid by any other party to a participant or dependent or paid on behalf of a participant or dependent, or on behalf of the estate of any participant or dependent.

The participant or dependent agrees to cooperate fully in asserting the Plan's subrogation and recovery rights against the third party. The participant, dependent, or his or her legal representative will, within 5 days of receiving a request from the Plan, provide all information and sign and return all documents necessary to exercise the Plan's rights under this provision.

Other Provisions

Please note the following:

  • Participants and dependents are required to abide by the terms of this section.  Failure to do so may result in immediate termination of coverage.
  • The Plan's rights to reimbursement and subrogation, and any recovery pursuant to those rights will not be reduced: due to the participant's or dependent's own negligence; due to the participant's or dependent's not being made whole; or by any portion of a participant's or dependent's attorney's fees and costs.
  • The Plan is not responsible for any attorney fees, attorney liens, or other expenses or costs.
  • No equitable claims or defenses of any kind apply to the Plan's right to reimbursement and subrogation, and any recovery pursuant to these rights, including but not limited to offset, detrimental reliance, equitable and promissory estoppel, the ''make whole" doctrine, and the ''common fund" doctrine.
  • The participant and dependent will cooperate in assisting the Plan in protecting the Plan's rights to reimbursement and subrogation and will not act or fail to act at any time or in any manner that prejudices the Plan's rights under this provision (including settling a claim with a third party without advance notice to the Plan).
  • The Plan has the right to recover interest at the rate of 1.5% per month or the maximum amount permitted by law, whichever is less, on the amount paid by the Plan because of the illness, injury, or condition.
  • The Plan is secondary to any excess insurance policy including, but not limited to, school and/or athletic policies.
  • If the participant or dependent resides in a state where no-fault coverage, or automobile personal injury protection or medical payment coverage is mandatory, that coverage is primary, and the Plan takes secondary status.  The Plan will reduce benefits for an amount equal to, but not less than, the state's mandatory minimum personal injury protection or medical payment requirement.
  • This provision also applies to any funds recovered from the third party by or on behalf of: (i) a minor dependent: (ii) the estate of any participant or dependent; and (iii) any incapacitated person.
  • The Plan's lien exists at the time the Plan pays benefits, and if a participant or dependent files a petition for bankruptcy, he or she agrees that the Plan's lien existed prior to the creation of the bankruptcy estate.
  • Failure by a participant or dependent to cooperate with the Plan in the exercise of these rights may also result, at the discretion of the Plan, in a denial or reduction of future benefit payments available to a participant or dependent under the Plan by an amount, up to the aggregate amount paid by the Plan that was subject to the Plan's equitable lien, but for which the Plan was not reimbursed. In certain circumstances, the Plan also may be entitled to recover any of the unsatisfied portions of the amount the Plan has paid or the amount of your recovery, whichever is less, directly from the medical providers to whom the Plan has made payments on your behalf.  In such a circumstance, it may then be your obligation to pay the provider the full billed amount, and the Plan will not have any obligation to pay the provider or reimburse you.

Recovery of Overpayment

Payments are made in accordance with the provisions of the Plan. If it is determined that payment was made for an ineligible charge or that other insurance was considered primary, the Plan has the right to recover the overpayment. The Plan will try to collect the overpayment from the party to whom the payment was made. However, the Plan reserves the right to seek overpayment from any participant, beneficiary, or dependent. In addition, the Plan has the right to engage an outside collection agency to recover overpayments on the Plan’s behalf if the Plan’s collection effort is not successful. The Plan may also bring a lawsuit to enforce its rights to recover overpayments.

If the overpayment is made to a provider, the Plan may reduce or deny benefits, in the amount of the overpayment, for otherwise covered services for current or future claims with the provider on behalf of any participant, beneficiary, or dependent in the Plan.