This is an excerpt from a member-only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe.

Affiliates of Minneapolis-based UnitedHealthcare (UHC) in 36 states and the District of Columbia have agreed to pay up to $20 million in a landmark agreement to settle a three-year, multistate investigation of UHC's claims processing and other administrative practices. The settlement with state insurance commissioners under the auspices of the National Association of Insurance Commissioners offers providers a new set of tools for enforcing contracts with UHC and may even increase contracting leverage with other managed care payers, sources tell MCCRA.