Sunshine State Health Plan, a subsidiary of Centene based in Tampa, Fla., must pay a $9.1 million fine after the deadline to challenge it lapsed, according to WTSP.
Florida regulators issued the fine in March over software problems that caused nearly three months of delayed payments to providers. The billing software glitch affected 121,227 health claims of patients under 21 who are eligible for Medicaid and have serious chronic conditions.
The patients were enrolled in the Sunshine Health Medicaid program and the Children's Medical Services Health Plan it operates on behalf of the Florida Department of Health.
The glitches, made public in February, were blamed on the Oct. 1, 2021, merger between Sunshine State Health Plan and WellCare of Florida. The agencies noticed the issues in December 2021, then worked with the state to rectify them in January.
The health plan had until 5 p.m. April 7 to dispute the fine. Now the company must pay the full fine by April 18.
In response to WTSP's request for comment, Centene pointed to previous statements made that included an apology to healthcare providers.
"We know that we created a number of challenges for our partners that did not meet the standards we set for ourselves or our contractual obligation to the state of Florida," Centene told WTSP.