Under the settlement, announced Tuesday, 600,000 to 700,000 doctors could apply for payments of charges that had been automatically reduced since 1996 by a software program Cigna has used.
The level of payments to people who are not sick is crucial, because if it is set too high, millions of people may apply for payments, draining the trust of money it needs to compensate sick people, said Stephen Carroll, a senior economist at the Rand Institute for Civil Justice who has studied asbestos suits.
But he added, "From a practical standpoint, isn't this going to be chaotic?" Under the settlement in Illinois, 600,000 to 700,000 doctors could apply for payments of charges that had been automatically reduced since 1996 by a computer program used by Cigna.
Homeowners affected by "severe inconvenience" can apply for payments up to £1,000 from local councils.
More than three quarters of benefit claimants in Scotland would struggle to apply for payments online, according to a new report.
"We have made it an absolute priority to bring in the scheme as soon as legislation will allow, so I am pleased to announce that victims will be able to apply for payments from next month".
State officials have also applied for payments from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which has yet to declare the algae an emergency.
