Health Insurers Could Take $180 Million From Concussed Ex-NFL Players
Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers will get a cut before the retired players see any money for their ALS, Parkinson's, and other diseases
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Nearly a fifth of the National Football League settlement approved this week compensating former players with head injuries could go to their health insurers instead.
As a result of federal laws and court rulings enabling insurers to recover costs of medical treatment for injuries, Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers will be reimbursed before players receive any money. Their share will reduce the value of a deal already criticized by some ex-players' lawyers as inadequate.