Maine woman files class-action lawsuit against Cigna for denying coverage of weight-loss medication [Video]

A Yarmouth woman has filed a federal class-action lawsuit against Cigna Health and Life Insurance Co. for denying coverage of a weight loss drug her doctor prescribed to treat obesity.

Jamie Whittemore filed the lawsuit on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Portland, arguing that the Affordable Care Act requires plans to cover weight loss medication for obesity and that it is illegal to discriminate based on a medical condition that also is a disability. Her attorneys believe it is the first such lawsuit filed in the country.

“This type of discrimination is not new; rather, it follows from a long history of prejudice, exclusion and stigmatization of people with disabilities in general and of people diagnosed with obesity, in particular,” the lawsuit says.

Whittemore is the only named plaintiff, although the suit also was filed on behalf of others who have been denied coverage. It’s not clear how many …