Regence Blue Shield has made a big dent in its backlog of unpaid claims to government retirees, the state says.
In August, doctors were awaiting about 300,000 payments from the state’s Uniform Medical Plan managed by Regence, mostly for treatment of retired public employees who use the plan as a supplement to Medicare.
That 300,000 backlog is down to 155,000, the Health Care Authority announced Tuesday.
The agency has said the goal was to have just 82,000 claims remaining by November. On Tuesday, authority deputy director Heidi Robbins Brown said Regence is on pace to exceed its promises.
The state’s largest insurer took over administration of the plan Jan. 1. Some medical providers found it difficult to get paid, and the state says some retirees complained providers were trying to bill them instead of their insurer.
It’s one of a number of problems at Regence that are drawing attention from Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler’s regulators.
According to a recent report from a publication that covers the health care industry, the Lund Report, the company is shaking up its leadership in the region.
Jordan Schrader, staff writer
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