After their last contract negotiations went down to the wire, Hartford HealthCare and Anthem are once again in deal-making mode less than a month before their current contract expires.
Wallingford-based Anthem sent an Aug. 30 letter to its Connecticut customers, warning them that negotiations had not yet concluded and that Hartford HealthCare patients could be out of network come Oct. 1, if the two sides fail to come to terms.
Anthem said HHC has already notified it that it intends to terminate its contract with Hartford HealthCare Medical Group.
Insurers and health systems are required to notify customers when 30 days remain to a contract’s expiration.
“Fortunately, in the vast majority of cases, the parties are able to reach agreement before or very shortly after the contract termination date,” Anthem’s letter said. “Anthem will continue to work hard to successfully renew its agreements with the HHC hospitals, facilities and providers so that they remain in our network.”
An Anthem spokeswoman said Tuesday that she wasn’t sure how many letters went out.
In a statement, HHC said: “Our two organizations continue to meet regularly and our focus remains on renewing our relationship with Anthem. For now, nothing changes and Anthem patients continue to have access to Hartford HealthCare’s services and professionals at in-network rates. We thank our patients for their patience and trust, and we are doing everything we can to keep them informed.”
HHC and Anthem have been here before, with each other and third parties. They reached a contract agreement at the last minute two years ago.
HHC also signed last-minute agreements with UnitedHealthcare in 2015 while Anthem and Yale went down to the wire in contract talks last year.
Some legislators have tired of the last-minute agreements. Sen. Martin Looney told the Connecticut Mirror in 2015 that providers and insurers were engaging in “brinksmanship” and called on the negotiations to be settled by binding arbitration if needed.
A bill proposing just that that did not make it through either legislative chamber that year.
