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Article: Blue Cross agrees to North Carolina's largest fine for claim underpayments.
- Article from:
- Health & Medicine Week
- Article date:
- January 12, 2004
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2004 JAN 12 - (NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net) -- North Carolina's largest health insurer admitted on December 18, 2003, that it denied or underpaid about 140,000 emergency room claims over 5 years, an offense resulting in the largest fine levied against an insurance company.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina turned over a check for $1.825 million after the Chapel Hill-based insurer and Insurance Commissioner Jim Long agreed on a settlement that avoided a public hearing and a potential penalty of up to $140 million.
Long said he agreed to the lower amount because it was large enough to punish Blue Cross while being small enough that the insurer could not ...