Power Morcellator Cancer News: UPMC Health Plan Becomes Latest Insurer to End Coverage of Uterine Morcellation, Bernstein Liebhard LLP Reports

NEW YORK, Aug. 28, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- UPMC Health Plan has become the latest insurer to end coverage of uterine morcellation in light of the cancer risks associated with power morcellators (http://www.injurybeacon.com/power-morcellator/), Bernstein Liebhard LLP reports. In a statement issued this week, the insurance company said it ended coverage for the procedures as of August 15^th in order to protect patient safety.

"The controversy surrounding the use of power morcellators in laparoscopic hysterectomies and fibroid removals shows no signs of abating. We are not surprised that UPMC and other insurers are rethinking these procedures," says Bernstein Liebhard LLP, a nationwide law firm representing victims of defective drugs and medical devices. The Firm is now offering free morcellator lawsuit reviews to women who may have experienced the spread of undiagnosed uterine sarcoma and other cancers due to uterine morcellation.

Morcellator Cancer Risk

Power morcellators are used during minimally-invasive gynecological surgeries to shred uterine tissue so that it can be removed through a small abdominal incision. On April 17^th, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration (FDA) warned that power morcellators have the potential to spread undetected uterine cancer cells into a woman's peritoneal cavity, upstaging the cancer and greatly reducing the patient's chances for long-term survival. According to the agency, roughly 1 in 350 women with fibroids actually have undiagnosed uterine sarcoma.

The FDA convened a panel of outside advisors in July as part of its ongoing review of uterine morcellation. During the two-day hearing, cancer victims and their family members implored the agency to ban the procedures.

Since then, Johnson & Johnson's Ethicon, Inc. unit, the largest manufacturer of power morcellators, has recalled three devices, citing the uncertainty surrounding the products.

Over the past several months, a number of other insurers have ended coverage for uterine morcellation. They include Highmark, Inc., one of the nation's largest Blue Cross/Blue Shield providers, as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts, Harvard Pilgrim and Fallon Health.

Women who allegedly experienced the spread of uterine cancer due to a power morcellator may be entitled to file a lawsuit against the manufacturer of the device used in their surgery. To learn more and to arrange for a free, no-obligation morcellator lawsuit review, please visit Bernstein Liebhard LLP's website. Free case reviews can also be obtained by calling (888) 340-4807.

About Bernstein Liebhard LLP

Bernstein Liebhard LLP is a New York-based law firm exclusively representing injured persons in complex individual and class action lawsuits nationwide since 1993. As a national law firm, Bernstein Liebhard LLP possesses all of the legal and financial resources required to successfully challenge billion dollar pharmaceutical and medical device companies. As a result, our attorneys and legal staff have been able to recover more than $3 billion on behalf of our clients. The Firm has been named by The National Law Journal to the Plaintiffs' Hot List, recognizing the top plaintiffs firms in the country, for the past 12 consecutive years. Bernstein Liebhard LLP is the only firm in the country to be named to this prestigious list every year since it was first published in 2003.

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Bernstein Liebhard LLP
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SOURCE Bernstein Liebhard LLP