Wightman v. Ameritas: Dental Care Status Under the PPO Act

In this legal opinion, the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals reviewed a dispute between a dental clinic and Ameritas Life Insurance Corporation regarding discounted reimbursement rates. The plaintiffs alleged that Ameritas used a third-party network to pay lower rates without proper disclosure on patient benefit cards, violating the Louisiana Preferred Provider Organization (PPO) Act. The appellate court reversed the lower court's ruling, determining that dental services do indeed qualify as healthcare under the broad definitions provided by state law. Additionally, the court found that the district court overstepped by declaring non-statutory claims abandoned and failed to provide a sufficient legal basis for applying judicial estoppel. While the court upheld the denial of a motion to amend the complaint, it remanded the case for further proceedings on the merits of the dentists' claims.