The new agreement will give Anthem members uninterrupted access to Mercy services within the network, the health system announced Wednesday.
ST. LOUIS — Mercy announced Wednesday that its services will remain in the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance plan network in Missouri after reaching a new multi-year agreement.
After months of unsuccessful negotiations, Mercy sent patients a written notice in September stating that the contract with Anthem would expire on January 1, 2025 unless both parties reached an agreement. This change will take Mercy providers out of network for all commercial, Medicare Advantage, Affordable Care Act marketplaces, managed Medicaid plans, and all Anthem plans, including HealthLink.
“The cost of providing actual care to patients has increased significantly due to inflation, and Anthem is committed to increasing the cost of these rising costs with respect to reimbursement for the care we provide to our communities,” said Dave Thompson, Mercy's senior vice president. We haven't kept up with that,” he said. President of Population Health and Contract Revenue said in a statement.
An Anthem spokesperson said Mercy is trying to force the company to agree to “drastic price demands” and “charge members and employers five times the current rate of inflation.”
“There was a time when we feared this issue would never be resolved,” said David Cook, president of UFCW Local 655.
According to a Mercy news release, the new agreement will provide Anthem members with “continued access to affordable, high-quality care at all of Mercy's hospitals, outpatient care centers, and clinics across Missouri.” That's what it means.
Missouri Care, Inc., doing business as Healthy Blue, has also reached an agreement for its Healthy Blue Medicaid plan, which will give members uninterrupted access to Mercy physicians and care sites within the network, the release states. Masu.
“It's going to be exactly the same. The value of this negotiation is that it allows Anthem to keep costs at a very good rate,” Cook said. That means I can provide and continue to provide good returns for many years to come. ”
Mercy is the second largest physician group in the St. Louis area, with more than 1,000 local physicians. According to an analysis by the St. Louis Business Journal..
“There are hundreds of thousands of Anthem BCBS Mercy patients,” Thompson said.
“Anthem is one of the largest airlines in St. Louis and Missouri,” Cook said. “This is going to have a negative impact on everyone. I took an active role because I was worried about my members. To be honest, I was worried about the general public. “This is going to have a negative impact on everyone. No one should have to worry about medical care at this time of year. ”
