JIPA’s NHI lawsuit sent to mediation

The Florida-based JIPA Network’s lawsuit against the Social Security Board was sent to mediation last month by High Court Master Agnes Actie, according to a filing at the High Court Registry.

JIPA entered into a contract with the SSB in October 2015 to provide an overseas network of some 300,000 physicians who would accept National Health Insurance payments in exchange for JIPA receiving a fee each time those physicians were utilised.

However, JIPA sued the SSB in December for breach of contract, and on Jan. 15 their agreement “came to an end,” SSB Director Antoinette Skelton told the Beacon on Jan. 31.

About three months after the lawsuit was filed, Ms. Actie referred the case to mediation, a process where a mediator meets with the parties in an effort to resolve their dispute outside of court.

The parties were ordered to attend mediation within 60 days of Ms. Actie’s March 16 order, and are required to keep the mediation proceedings confidential.

The SSB and JIPA are scheduled to report back to Ms. Actie on June 12.

The claim

JIPA’s Dec. 8 claim against the SSB contains few details, but it suggests that the network believes the SSB may have paid overseas medical providers without paying JIPA as agreed.

“[JIPA seeks] an account of all payments made by [the SSB] to overseas medical providers without reference to [JIPA] … and payment of all monies found due and owing to [JIPA] upon taking of such account,” states the claim form, which also seeks costs and damages for the alleged breach of contract.

In a written statement provided to the Beacon on Jan. 31, the SSB disputed JIPA’s allegations.

“The claim is based on the false premise that referrals were made to overseas medical providers for NHI insured without reference to JIPA and outside the terms of the agreement the board has with JIPA,” the SSB stated. “To the contrary, no such direct referrals were ever made by the board.”

Access not affected

In a January interview with the Beacon, Ms. Skelton declined to comment on the specifics of JIPA’s allegations, but stressed that residents’ access to overseas health care won’t be affected due to the litigation or the severed relationship with JIPA.

NHI officials, she explained at the time, are now clearing claims directly through overseas hospitals instead of communicating through the JIPA Network.

JIPA CEO Dr. Kester Nedd and his attorney, Terrance Neale, have not responded to inquiries about the lawsuit.

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