1. What is the Lien Resolution Administrator’s role?
The Lien Resolution Administrator obtains any lien or reimbursement claims from each claimant’s health insurer (including Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurance companies such as United Healthcare, Blue Cross, and many more). They will evaluate those claims to ensure they are accurate and then work to reduce them as much as possible to allow each claimant to receive as much of their award allocation as possible.
2. What is a lien?
Health insurers (including Medicare, Medicaid, United Healthcare, Blue Cross, and many more) have a right to be reimbursed from each claimant’s award. The claimant’s health insurer can make a claim for reimbursement for treatment it covered that is related to a claimant’s opioid claim.
This right is often known as a “lien,” and can exist under either state or federal law, an insurance contract, or both.
3. Am I required to go through this process?
Yes. The Court, the Plan and the Trustee are requiring the review and resolution of each claimant’s liens in order for them to receive their allocation.
4. Do I have to do anything to help with this process?
No. The Lien Resolution Administrator does not require anything from a claimant to resolve their liens other than providing the health insurance information required on the claim form.
5. What if I had no insurance?
The Court and Trustee require that we check with various organizations even if a claimant tells us they had no health insurance. We will do so as quickly as possible.
6. How long will this process take?
The majority of claimants should be through the lien resolution process within 12 months of the claimant or the claimant’s law firm providing information to the Lien Resolution Administrator and the Trust. Some will be faster. Others will be slower. Regardless, we will work as fast as possible to clear all liens.
7. Can I get my award/allocation before liens are done?
No. The Court and Trustee require Lien Resolution Administrator to check with multiple health insurance organizations and Medicaid before the Claims Administrator can release a claimant’s award or allocation to them.
8. How much will my lien be? How will this impact my award?
We don’t know how much a claimant’s lien or liens will be. The lien resolution program that the claimants’ attorneys and Lien Resolution Administrator have negotiated include automatic reductions and maximum amounts for many programs; however, we won’t know the exact amounts each health insurer is requesting until we receive information from them.
Liens impact a claimant’s award by partially reducing the amount the claimant will take home. The Lien Resolution Administrator’s goal is to minimize the lien amounts, so the claimant walks away with as much as possible.
9. Who do I contact with questions about my award and liens?
Contact the claimant’s attorney. Lien Resolution Administrator cannot communicate with the claimant because the claimant is represented by an attorney. If the claimant does not have an attorney, please contact the Rite Aid PI Trust.