Washington State fines Regence BlueShield $550,000 for parity violations

Washington state Insurance Commissioner Patty Kuderer fined Regence BlueShield $550,000 on November 24 for violations of the Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act (MHPAEA). “The data Regence provided, or in some cases failed to provide, demonstrates a lack of accountability for following this nation's insurance laws,” Kuderer said. “Throughout this process, Regence's staff appeared to willfully misinterpret our questions, dismiss our concerns and generally disregard their own responsibilities to their members' well‐being.”