LVHN reaches an agreement with Aetna
Deal means insured patients can keep receiving in-network medical care
Lehigh Valley Health Network and insurance giant Aetna have reached an agreement that will allow Aetna members to continue to receive care throughout the health network, LVHN announced Thursday afternoon.
According to a joint statement from LVHN and Aetna, the new agreement is effective immediately and Aetna members with commercial or Medicare Advantage plans will be able to continue receiving in-network care at LVHN-operated facilities in 2023 and beyond.
Brian Downs, spokesperson for LVHN, said Thursday no further comment about the agreement or how it was reached would be made public.
LVHN informed employers last week that the health system would end its contract with Aetna in March, accusing the insurer of refusing to pay for health care provided to Aetna members as well as routinely denying or delaying care for patients over the last five years.
LVHN asked the
“Our top priority as we worked toward reaching an agreement remained our patients and members.”
— Joint statement from LVHN and Aetna
employers to contact their Aetna representatives and encourage them to negotiate with the health network.
Aetna, which is owned by CVS Health, covers about 39 million people in the U.S.
Last week’s move by LVHN would have resulted in tens of thousands of people with Aetna plans in the Lehigh Valley and northeast Pennsylvania being unable to get in-network care from LVHN starting March 13. Only individuals on traditional Medicare plans with Aetna-based supplements and children under Aetna Better Health Kids would have been unaffected.
Patients would have been forced to pay more for out-of-network care as a result or find new doctors. But Thursday’s news averted that.
“Our top priority as we worked toward reaching an agreement remained our patients and members,” the joint statement said. “The relationship between LVHN and Aetna is longstanding. We will continue to work together to serve our patients and members, and to deliver on our shared goal of improving health outcomes in our community.”
This is the second time in less than 25 years that LVHN has threatened to stop accepting Aetna insurance. Their contract ended at most network facilities in 2001 and Lehigh Valley Hospital-Muhlenberg in 2003. LVHN didn’t sign a new contract with Aetna until 2007.