Business
United fined $750,000 by Georgia Insurance Dept.
NEWS IN BRIEF — Posted Nov. 30, 2009
UnitedHealthcare subsidiaries were found to have illegally delayed claims payments for members in Georgia and were fined a combined $750,000 by Insurance Commissioner John Oxendine.
The violations by subsidiaries Golden Rule Insurance Co., American Medical Security Life Insurance Co. and United Healthcare of Georgia were based on the state's review of claims payments from Oct. 1, 2008, through March 31, 2009, said Wayne Whitaker, spokesman for the commissioner's office.
The fine is United's fourth since Oxendine began requiring quarterly claims reports from health insurers in 1999.
A company statement said, "UnitedHealthcare currently processes 97% of its claims within 15 days in Georgia. This settlement involves only the small percentage of claims not processed within 15 days." The company did not acknowledge wrongdoing.
Oxendine's office said it is reviewing more insurers and expects to issue more fines.
Note: This item originally appeared at http://www.ama-assn.org/amednews/2009/11/30/bibf1130.htm.












