The Minnesota Department of Commerce (MNDOC) has issued a consent order to UnitedHealthcare (UHC) following an examination of its compliance with mental health parity laws. The examination found areas where the UHC’s practices created barriers to accessing mental health and substance use disorder treatment. Specific allegations were related to provider reimbursement rates, accurate and complete provider directories, utilization review, prior authorization data on its website, and formulary design restrictions. The consent order includes a $450,000 fine and corrective actions to improve access and ensure compliance going forward. From MNDOC press release: “This is the third, and largest, civil penalty Commerce has assessed against an insurance carrier in the past 12 months related to mental health parity.”
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https://mn.gov/commerce/news/?id=17-576476#/detail/appId/2/id/624065