Cervantes v. Health Plan of Nevada, Inc.

**What happened:** An employee sued Health Plan of Nevada, claiming the company was negligent in how it selected healthcare providers and handled quality assurance for its health plan. The employee argued that the health plan failed to properly screen doctors or ensure quality care, which led to harm. **What the court decided:** The Nevada Supreme Court ruled in favor of Health Plan of Nevada. The court found that federal law (specifically ERISA, which governs employee benefit plans) prevents employees from suing their employer's health plan under state negligence laws. The court dismissed the case entirely, saying federal law "preempts" or overrides state law claims in this situation. **Why this matters for workers:** This ruling limits workers' ability to sue their employer-provided health plans when they believe poor provider selection or quality control caused them harm. Workers cannot use state negligence laws to hold their health plans accountable for these types of decisions. Instead, they must pursue remedies under federal ERISA law, which typically offers more limited options for compensation and often favors insurance companies and employers over individual workers.