Washington State Insurance Commissioner Mike Kreidler has issued fines to three Washington state health insurers for violations of insurance laws and rules.

UnitedHealthcare of Washington, Inc. failed to use its correct, legal name 297 times in 2018. Washington state law requires insurers to use their legal names as a measure to ensure transparency for consumers. The company was fined $5,000 for the infraction.

Premera Blue Cross and its sister company LifeWise Health Plan of Washington were fined $100,000 and $50,000 respectively for multiple infractions related to how the companies handled pre-authorizations for treatment as well as policyholder appeals. These violations were discovered when consumers filed complaints with the Office of the Insurance Commissioner. Consumer complaints included delaying surgery approval until the new year, resulting in a renewed deductible and increased out of pocket payments, and failure to process appeals for denials of medical treatment.