Subrogation and reimbursement

A person or entity alleged to have caused you to suffer a sickness, injury or damages, or who is legally responsible for the sickness, injury or damages.
Any insurer or other indemnifier of any person or entity alleged to have caused or who caused the sickness, injury or damages.
The Company in a workers' compensation case or other matter alleging liability.
Any person or entity who is or may be obligated to provide benefits or payments to you, including benefits or payments for underinsured or uninsured motorist protection, no-fault or traditional auto insurance, medical payment coverage (auto, homeowners or otherwise), workers' compensation coverage, other insurance carriers or third party administrators.
Any person or entity against whom you may have any claim for professional and/or legal malpractice arising out of or connected to a sickness or injury you allege or could have alleged were the responsibility of any third party.
Any person or entity that is liable for payment to you on any equitable or legal liability theory.

You will cooperate with the Plan in protecting its legal and equitable rights to subrogation and reimbursement in a timely manner, including, but not limited to:
Notifying the Plan, in writing, of any potential legal claim(s) you may have against any third party for acts which caused benefits to be paid or become payable.
Providing any relevant information requested by the Plan.
Signing and/or delivering such documents as the Plan or its agents reasonably request to secure the subrogation and reimbursement claim.
Responding to requests for information about any accident or injuries.
Making court appearances.
Obtaining the Plan's consent or its agents' consent before releasing any party from liability or payment of medical expenses.
Complying with the terms of this section.

The Plan has a first priority right to receive payment on any claim against any third party before you receive payment from that third party. Further, the Plan's first priority right to payment is superior to any and all claims, debts or liens asserted by any medical providers, including but not limited to hospitals or emergency treatment facilities, that assert a right to payment from funds payable from or recovered from an allegedly responsible third party and/or insurance carrier.
The Plan's subrogation and reimbursement rights apply to full and partial settlements, judgments, or other recoveries paid or payable to you or your representative, your estate, your heirs and beneficiaries, no matter how those proceeds are captioned or characterized. Payments include, but are not limited to, economic, non-economic, pecuniary, consortium and punitive damages. The Plan is not required to help you to pursue your claim for damages or personal injuries and no amount of associated costs, including attorneys' fees, shall be deducted from the Plan's recovery without the Plan's express written consent. No so-called "Fund Doctrine" or "Common Fund Doctrine" or "Attorney's Fund Doctrine" shall defeat this right.
Regardless of whether you have been fully compensated or made whole, the Plan may collect from you the proceeds of any full or partial recovery that you or your legal representative obtain, whether in the form of a settlement (either before or after any determination of liability) or judgment, no matter how those proceeds are captioned or characterized. Proceeds from which the Plan may collect include, but are not limited to, economic, non-economic, and punitive damages. No "collateral source" rule, any "Made-Whole Doctrine" or "Make-Whole Doctrine," claim of unjust enrichment, nor any other equitable limitation shall limit the Plan's subrogation and reimbursement rights.
Benefits paid by the Plan may also be considered to be benefits advanced.
If you receive any payment from any party as a result of sickness or injury, and the Plan alleges some or all of those funds are due and owed to the Plan, you and/or your representative shall hold those funds in trust, either in a separate bank account in your name or in your representative's trust account.
By participating in and accepting benefits from the Plan, you agree that (i) any amounts recovered by you from any third party shall constitute Plan assets to the extent of the amount of Plan benefits provided on behalf of the covered person, (ii) you and your representative shall be fiduciaries of the Plan (within the meaning of ERISA) with respect to such amounts, and (iii) you shall be liable for and agree to pay any costs and fees (including reasonable attorney fees) incurred by the Plan to enforce its reimbursement rights.
The Plan's rights to recovery will not be reduced due to your own negligence.
By participating in and accepting benefits from the Plan, you agree to assign to the Plan any benefits, claims or rights of recovery you have under any automobile policy - including no-fault benefits, PIP benefits and/or medical payment benefits - other coverage or against any third party, to the full extent of the benefits the Plan has paid for the sickness or injury. By agreeing to provide this assignment in exchange for participating in and accepting benefits, you acknowledge and recognize the Plan's right to assert, pursue and recover on any such claim, whether or not you choose to pursue the claim, and you agree to this assignment voluntarily.
The Plan may, at its option, take necessary and appropriate action to preserve its rights under these provisions, including but not limited to, providing or exchanging medical payment information with an insurer, the insurer's legal representative or other third party; filing an ERISA reimbursement lawsuit to recover the full amount of medical benefits you receive for the sickness or injury out of any settlement, judgment or other recovery from any third party considered responsible and filing suit in your name or your estate's name, which does not obligate the Plan in any way to pay you part of any recovery the Plan might obtain. Any ERISA reimbursement lawsuit stemming from a refusal to refund benefits as required under the terms of the Plan is governed by a six-year statute of limitations.
You may not accept any settlement that does not fully reimburse the Plan, without its written approval.
The Plan has the authority and discretion to resolve all disputes regarding the interpretation of the language stated herein.
In the case of your death, giving rise to any wrongful death or survival claim, the provisions of this section apply to your estate, the personal representative of your estate, and your heirs or beneficiaries. In the case of your death the Plan's right of reimbursement and right of subrogation shall apply if a claim can be brought on behalf of you or your estate that can include a claim for past medical expenses or damages. The obligation to reimburse the Plan is not extinguished by a release of claims or settlement agreement of any kind.
No allocation of damages, settlement funds or any other recovery, by you, your estate, the personal representative of your estate, your heirs, your beneficiaries or any other person or party, shall be valid if it does not reimburse the Plan for 100% of its interest unless the Plan provides written consent to the allocation.
The provisions of this section apply to the parents, guardian, or other representative of a Dependent child who incurs a Sickness or Injury caused by any third party. If a parent or guardian may bring a claim for damages arising out of a minor's Sickness or Injury, the terms of this subrogation and reimbursement clause shall apply to that claim.
If any third party causes or is alleged to have caused you to suffer a sickness or injury while you are covered under this Plan, the provisions of this section continue to apply, even after you are no longer covered.
In the event that you do not abide by the terms of the Plan pertaining to reimbursement, the Plan may terminate benefits to you, your dependents or the employee, deny future benefits, take legal action against you, and/or set off from any future benefits the value of benefits the Plan has paid relating to any sickness or injury alleged to have been caused or caused by any third party to the extent not recovered by the Plan due to your failure to abide by the terms of the Plan. If the Plan incurs attorneys' fees and costs in order to collect third party settlement funds held by you or your representative, the Plan has the right to recover those fees and costs from you. You will also be required to pay interest on any amounts you hold which should have been returned to the Plan.
The Plan and all administrators administering the terms and conditions of the Plan's subrogation and reimbursement rights have such powers and duties as are necessary to discharge its duties and functions, including the exercise of its discretionary authority to (1) construe and enforce the terms of the Plan's subrogation and reimbursement rights and (2) make determinations with respect to the subrogation amounts and reimbursements owed to the Plan. For additional information regarding discretionary authority under the plan and/or standards of review for suits brought for plan benefits, please see the Stryker Corporation Welfare Benefits Plan document.

Made in error.
Due to a mistake in fact.
Advanced during the time period of meeting the calendar year deductible.
Advanced during the time period of meeting the out-of-pocket maximum for the calendar year.

Require that the overpayment be returned when requested.
Reduce a future benefit payment for you or your dependent by the amount of the overpayment.

Submitting a reminder letter to you or a covered dependent that details any outstanding balance owed to the Plan.
Conducting courtesy calls to you or a covered dependent to discuss any outstanding balance owed to the Plan.