California’s Department of Managed Health Care fined three Centene-owned health plans a total of $1.7 million over concerns about not meeting reporting rate standards for timely access of appointments.
The department fined Health Net of California $1.2 million, Human Affairs International of California — under Magellan Health — $300,000, and Health Net Community Solutions $200,000, according to a news release from the department.
The fines followed investigations of each health plan. In all three cases, California determined violations of the Knox-Keene Health Care Service Plan Act of 1975, which established network adequacy and wait time standards. Most health plans must report their adherence each year to the DMHC.
“Ensuring health plan members have timely access to the health care they need is a top priority for the DMHC,” DMHC Director Mary Watanabe said. “Delays in finding timely appointments can be a barrier for patients seeking medically necessary care, and can have negative impacts on health plan members.”
Becker’s has contacted Centene for comment and will update this story if more information becomes available.
