California Regulator Announces Agreement With UnitedHealth
On Wednesday, Insurance Commissioner Steve Poizner (R) announced that UnitedHealth Group will pay $260,293 to California's general fund as part of a multistate settlement about the insurer's mishandling of claims, the East Bay Business Times reports. California is one of 37 states taking part in the agreement (East Bay Business Times, 9/12).
UnitedHealth Group officials last week announced the agreement, which requires them to pay $12 million to 37 states. The amount of the settlement could increase to as much as $20 million in the event that other states join.
New York, which has about one million UnitedHealth members, will receive the largest share of the settlement at $4 million (California Healthline, 9/7).
About 1.3% of the policyholders affected by the case are California residents. Most UnitedHealthcare policies in California are issued through PacifiCare Health and Life Insurance Co., a UnitedHealth subsidiary (East Bay Business Times, 9/12).