November 10, 2006, 12:00:00AM. By Heidi Turner

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Oxford, MA: While other insurance companies are settling their lawsuits, Oxford Insurance is still in arbitration in a suit brought by a group of New Jersey doctors.

Along with Oxford Insurance, Cigna Healthcare, United Healthcare, and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield were all named in the lawsuit which was filed in 2002 on behalf of at least 40,000 New Jersey doctors.

The settlement was reached with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, and while doctors won't be receiving any money, the insurance company has agreed to continue to improve business practices significantly.

The doctors represented in the lawsuit argued that insurance companies like Oxford regularly cheated physicians out of money by either making late payments or improperly reducing payments.

Since the lawsuit was filed, Cigna and United Healthcare have become part of other class-action cases in Florida, while Oxford's suit is now in arbitration.

This is just one of the lawsuits that Oxford Insurance currently faces. Last month, a group of New York doctors filed suit against UnitedHealth Group and its subsidiary, Oxford Health Plans, claiming that the insurance company engages in anti-competitive practices. The suit argues that UnitedHealth and Oxford require physicians to join both networks, even if the doctors do not want to. Doctors argued that this "all products" rule violated state antitrust laws and laws against unfair and deceptive trade practices.

In another case, Jamaica Hospital Medical Center filed suit against Oxford insurance after Oxford told its subscribers that medical care at the hospital would no longer be covered. Subscribers were given a month to change their medical arrangements. Jamaica Hospital claims that in 2004, Oxford agreed to increase the amounts it pays the hospital, but for a year afterward continued to pay the hospital at the old rates. After the hospital complained, Oxford stopped covering its medical services.

Oxford's business practices have put patients' health at risk. If your health has been affected by Oxford's actions, contact a lawyer to discuss your options.

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