Supreme Court denies cert in Trigon case

The Supreme Court left standing the 4th Circuit's decision in Trigon, dismissing antitrust claims brought by chiropractors against a health care insurance provider.  The American Chiropractic Association had filed suit against Trigon in 2000, alleging that the Virginia company had conspired with its health care advisory board, consisting of physicians, to steer patients away from chiropractic care.  The district court granted summary judgment to Trigon, and the 4th Circuit affirmed this past Spring.   One of the reasons for the dismissal was that the physicians could not have conspired with Trigon because they were employees of the provider, and that the monopolization claim made no economic sense since chiropractic care was generally cheaper.