Anthem contract dispute continues

Up to 60,000 patients of Hartford HealthCare are facing higher costs

A contract dispute between Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Hartford HealthCare continued Tuesday, making costs for treatment at The William W. Backus Hospital and affiliated facilities higher for patients with insurance through Anthem.

A three-year contract between the hospital group and the insurance company expired Saturday, when they were unable to reach an agreement on a new contract.

All Hartford Healthcare facilities — including Backus Hospital — are now considered out-of-network for Anthem patients, meaning outof-pocket costs could be higher for them until the two companies reach an agreement.

Those patients who face higher costs as a result of the dispute — possibly as many as 60,000, according to Hartford Healthcare — can apply for “continuation of care” benefits from Anthem that would keep their costs for care from Hartford Healthcare at normal rates during the dispute.

More than 550 patients have applied for these benefits from Anthem, Hartford HealthCare spokesman Shawn Mawhiney said Tuesday.

“These are patients who are already receiving care at Hartford HealthCare, or have longstanding relationships with physicians and Hartford HealthCare and don’t want to travel long distances for their care,” Mawhiney said in an email.

Patients had been asking Tuesday about the changes in their coverage at Backus Family Health Center in Waterford, staff there said.

“They kind of are in limbo and don’t know what to do,” said Joanne Howard, a patient service coordinator at the Hartford HealthCare-run primary care office.

At least two people with insurance through Anthem had canceled appointments Monday and Tuesday in the wake of the contract’s expiration, she said.

Staff at the family medicine office have been telling Anthem-covered patients that they are now considered out-of-network and will have to pay higher fees, but don’t know how much more their visits will cost, she said.

On Tuesday, as negotiations between Hartford Healthcare and Anthem were continuing, Mawhiney announced that the company had reached an agreement with another insurance company, Aetna, for a three-year contract.

Sitting outside the Backus Outpatient Care Center on Salem Turnpike in Norwich, Ron Walters said his wife, who is insured with the Anthem insurance he got as a retired state employee, may have to change her plans for doctors’ appointments at Backus Hospital if the Anthem dispute continues.

“Maybe she should cancel until they figure it out,” Walters said.

A spokesperson for Anthem didn’t respond to a request for comment Tuesday.