HARRISBURG — A Mount Joy woman is suing her husband’s employer and its insurance provider, alleging they denied benefits for a spinal surgery.
Sarah H. Book filed a lawsuit Feb. 15 in U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania against Highmark Blue Shield and Noah W. Kreider & Sons LLP, alleging violation of the Employee Retirement Income Security Act (ERISA).
According to the complaint, Book is the legal spouse of an employee of Noah W. Kreider & Sons and a beneficiary of Highmark health insurance benefits and coverage. The plaintiff alleges she sustained and is being medically treated for injuries resulting from a motor vehicle collision Oct. 8, 2014. After conservative treatment for the injuries, her doctor prescribed spinal fusion with pedicle screw fixation, the suit says.
The lawsuit states Book's automobile insurance first-party benefits coverage through another party was exhausted in May 2015, at which time she sought coverage through Highmark for the surgery. Her claim was denied in correspondence dated May 14, 2015. Book filed an appeal, also denied, which she alleges constitutes her rights under the ERISA.
Book seeks benefits according to the plan, attorney fees and costs. She is represented by attorney David L. Lutz of Handler Henning & Rosenberg LLP in Harrisburg.
U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania Case number 1:16-cv-00264-JEJ