[This story has been updated.]
An informational forum and public hearing on how to resolve contract stalemates between health insurers and care providers will go on as planned Tuesday morning even though a new contract between Hartford HealthCare and Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield is now in place.
HHC and Anthem announced a new three-year contract agreement on Nov. 18, after a month and a half of acrimonious contract talks that led to calls for possible legislative intervention.
“There still needs to be a discussion on how to avoid the interruptions of health care that occurred for tens of thousands of Connecticut patients during the seven-week contract stalemate,” said Rep. Sean Scanlon (D-Guilford), who co-chairs the Insurance and Real Estate Committee.
Representatives from both companies have been invited to attend the forum, which begins at 10 a.m. in Room 2C of the Legislative Office Building. A public hearing is set to follow in the same place.
The previous contract between HHC and Anthem expired Oct. 1. Until a contract agreement was reached, HHC patients who have Anthem insurance coverage were forced to pay higher, out-of-network rates for most care at a HHC facility.
The new contract is also retroactive to Oct. 1, so patients who received out-of-network care from HHC since then will pay what they would have paid as if HHC had been in network all along.
Hartford HealthCare will participate in the forum. Dr. James Cardon, the company’s clinical integration officer, will speak for HHC, a spokesperson said. Deremius Williams, Anthem’s vice president of provider solutions will speak on the insurer’s behalf, their spokesperson said.
Also in attendance will be Insurance Commissioner Katharine Wade, Comptroller Kevin Lembo and Ted Doolittle, the state’s healthcare advocate.
