Class Action Requested In Crittenden County Hospital Case

A lawsuit filed earlier this month by a West Memphis attorney on behalf of his mother against Crittenden Hospital Association has been requested for class action status, the attorney said Monday.

Denny Sumpter said nearly 125 plaintiffs have signed onto the suit, filed Sept. 5 in Crittenden County Circuit Court in Marion against the hospital association, hospital CEO Gene Cashman, hospital board president David Rains and CIGNA insurance.

Sumpter filed the suit on behalf of his mother, Deloris Sumpter. Denny Sumpter said in the suit that his mother worked for the now-closed Crittenden Regional Hospital for 35 years and that the insurance company began working as a third-party administrator for the hospital’s insurance plan earlier this year.

“Sumpter and spouse participated in the plan. The plan required for Sumpter to share in the responsibility to pay a portion of the premium due to provide health coverage. CHA (Crittenden Hospital Association) was responsible for the remaining portion of the premium due to the plan,” Denny Sumpter said in the suit.

Sumpter said his mother fully paid her portion of the insurance premium for her and her husband. From there, Sumpter alleges that the hospital used the money for other means.

Sumpter said Monday that he originally had about 100 people interested in filing suit in the case. That number has grown to 125, most of whom are either employees or family members of employees, Sumpter said.

No trial date has been set in the case.

Previous attempts to get comment from hospital officials have not been successful.

INSURANCE MEETING
Nearly 80 people who lost their jobs when the hospital closed went to the West Memphis Civic Center Monday afternoon to learn the options about getting insurance.

The meeting, sponsored by Crittenden County Judge Woody Wheeless, West Memphis Mayor Bill Johnson, Marion Mayor Frank Fogleman, State Rep. Deborah Ferguson, D-West Memphis, and State Sen. Keith Ingram, D-West Memphis, brought insurance officials to the building for people to learn more.

Matthew Glass, president of Fidelity Insurance, said the people who lost their jobs were eligible for the private option, an on or off exchange plan, or a traditional insurance plan.

Glass said the eligibility was based on different requirements, noting the state Department of Human Services will be working from 10 a.m. until noon Wednesday to help eligible former employees get signed up for the private option.

The program may be able to help people who have late medical bills for the past 90 days, Glass said.

The former employees may be able to back-bill Medicaid, if they meet the requirements of the public option and they have unpaid bills for the past 90 days, Glass said.

Jill Lowery of West Memphis, who worked at the hospital in its information technology department for four years before losing her job, said the past several weeks have been difficult for her and other employees.

She said it has been difficult to get medical records from the hospital and that the promises she was told by hospital officials were not kept.

The issue has also helped run the gamut of emotions, Lowery said.

“It is hard to get depressed when you are mad as hell,” Lowery said.