Insurers Refuse to Pick Up Bill for Billions in Opioid Claims

A multibillion-dollar bill is coming due for the U.S. opioid epidemic and insurers for some of the largest drug makers, distributors and pharmacies are refusing to help pay for it.

A Delaware Supreme Court ruling in January has emboldened insurers eager to avoid massive policy claims from companies proposing to settle liability lawsuits over opioids.

Half a dozen complaints have been filed in Delaware in the past two months, seeking court approval to block coverage of everything from cash damages to attorneys fees for companies including CVS Health Corp. and AmerisourceBergen Corp.

Opioid companies agreed to pay more than $32 billion to help cover costs related to opioid addiction, which has killed an estimated 500,000 Americans over two decades.

Insurers, including Hartford Financial Services Group Inc. and American International Group Inc., took legal action after the Delaware court ruled Chubb Ltd. didn’t have to pay to defend Rite Aid Corp. against thousands of lawsuits.