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by WKRC
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKRC) – Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost has initiated legal proceedings to halt a Texas-based company from conducting insurance business in the state without the necessary license. The company, Thin Blue Line Benefits Association, LLC, allegedly ceased covering medical bills for retired first responders, leaving them with substantial financial burdens.
In a motion filed in Franklin County Common Pleas Court, Yost, representing the Ohio Department of Insurance (ODI), seeks a temporary restraining order and preliminary injunction against Thin Blue Line. The company is accused of selling health insurance to police officers, firefighters, and civilian support workers without proper authorization. Yost is also requesting that ODI be appointed as conservator to safeguard the company's assets and protect the public.
"In Ohio you can’t drive without a license, just as you can’t sell insurance without a license – there are consequences for both," Yost said. "This company lied to first responders and misrepresented their services, creating a whirlwind of uncertainty and financial straits."
The insurance policies in question were intended to cover the period between retirement and age 65, when Medicare eligibility begins. However, by November 2024, the company had stopped paying medical claims, leaving many of its 3,400 Ohio policyholders with unpaid bills, including one case exceeding $270,000. Policyholders reported that the company was unresponsive to their attempts to resolve the unpaid claims.
According to the court filing, Thin Blue Line is operating illegally in Ohio, having never obtained the required license from ODI. Yost accuses the company of engaging in unfair and deceptive business practices by conducting insurance business without a license and failing to fulfill its insurance plan obligations.
The motion seeks to prohibit Thin Blue Line from continuing its illegal activities, including conducting insurance business, advertising health insurance plans, enrolling new members, and collecting monthly premiums ranging from $778 to $3,005.
Yost urged the court to act swiftly, highlighting the ongoing risk to Ohio’s retired first responders. "Each day that Thin Blue Line holds itself out as a health insurer, accepts monthly premiums from policyholders, and fails to pay claims it owes to medical providers is another day of enormous harm to retired first responders," he said.
