Court Rules CIGA Not Primary Payer, Not Required to Reimburse Medicare

The California Insurance Guarantee Association is not a primary plan under the Medicare Act and therefore not required to reimburse the federal government for conditional payments made to injured workers, the U.S. 9th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled Thursday. The appellate court in CIGA v. Alex M. Azar II reversed the decision of the U.S. District Court for Central California finding CIGA was a primary plan for workers’ compensation claims that it administers. The district court held that CIGA was required to reimburse the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for conditional paymen...