State Regulators Know Health Insurance Directories Are Full of Wrong Information. They’re Doing Little to Fix It.

Many states have sought to make insurers clean up their health plans’ provider directories over the past decade .

But the errors are still widespread.

Most state insurance agencies haven’t issued a fine for provider directory errors since 2019 .

Experts said stricter regulations and stronger fines are needed to protect insurance customers.

The problem with ghost networks isn’t one of awareness, but it’s a problem for regulators.

Even when they drop out of a network, they’re not always removed from the insurer’ lists.

Arizona regulators have resisted penalizing insurers for not fixing problems.

Massachusetts announced settlements with some of the state’s largest health plans in February 2020 .

No insurers admitted wrongdoing, but experts who reviewed the settlements identified a critical shortcoming.

The insurers had promised to audit directories multiple times a year , but they didn't have to report those findings to the attorney general's office.