Consumer Watchdog Calls on Insurance Commissioner to Assure Medical Privacy for HIV Patients at Hearing Regarding the Proposed Merger of Aetna Inc. into CVS Health Corporation

Los Angeles, CA -- This morning, health insurance Goliath Aetna sued the nonprofit Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas LLP, a consumer law firm, who’ve sued Aetna for its improper and negligent disclosure of the HIV positive status of thousands of its members.  The disclosure was made as a result of Aetna’s use of a window pane envelope that was sent to communicate a member-wide business practice change Aetna agreed to make in order to resolve an earlier lawsuit brought by the consumer advocates.   

Today a “John Doe” HIV patient along with consumer advocates at Consumer Watchdog and Whatley Kallas, LLP announced the filing of a new lawsuit against Aetna, Inc. for violating patient privacy in connection with the resolution of a prior legal action. The new lawsuit alleges Aetna breached the settlement agreement in the prior legal action by disclosing patients’ HIV status in a mailing sent by Aetna in July 2017.