SPOKANE, Wash. — Thousands of MultiCare patients in Washington state are at risk of losing care if they are covered by Premera Blue Cross Insurance.
The current contract between the two nonprofits expires on May 31; if an agreement is not reached, those with Premera commercial, Individual Exchange and Medicare Advantage health plans will be out of network.
According to Premera, contract negotiations started with a termination notice, which they did not introduce. If passed, all lines of business would be affected, including commercial, individual, UW student insurance and Medicare Advantage plans. Termination would not impact Premera Medicare Supplement or HMO plans with the Sherwood HMO network.
Premera said they will continue negotiating to reach an agreement that benefits everyone but expressed frustrations with the negotiation process.
“We’ve worked hard to reach an agreement with the MultiCare team. That said, MultiCare’s approach to these negotiations has been less reasonable than we would have expected given our history and partnership,” Premera said. “We’re extremely disappointed with the posture and lack of progress in these negotiations.”
MultiCare said they hope to reach a fair agreement that ensures they can continue to deliver “high-quality care.” MultiCare added that for the last five years, Premera has not been holding up its end of the bargain.
“Since 2019, Premera has reimbursed MultiCare well below the rate of inflation,” MultiCare said. “Patient disruption is not our desire, but we need Premera to cover the true cost of care, so we can invest in the doctors, medical technologies and innovations, and community programs people rely on.”
If Multicare and Premera do not reach an agreement, the following facilities will be impacted:
Auburn – MultiCare Auburn Medical Center Covington – MultiCare Covington Medical Center Olympia – MultiCare Capital Medical Center Puyallup – MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital Spokane – MultiCare Deaconess Hospital Spokane – MultiCare Valley Hospital Spokane – Rockwood ClinicTacoma – MultiCare Allenmore Hospital Tacoma – MultiCare Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital and Health Center Tacoma – MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital Yakima – MultiCare Yakima Memorial HospitalIndigo Urgent Care Clinics
If an agreement is not reached, those in these areas must find a new doctor or pay out-of-network costs. Premera said they will work with people with chronic or critical conditions to ensure treatment is not disrupted.
Patients will still be able to receive emergency treatment if needed. Premera said Emergency care is always covered at in-network cost. In Spokane, Patients can go to Providence Sacred Heart, Providence Holy Family and Shriners Children’s.
Patients with a Premera Medicare Supplement plan or the HMO plan with the Sherwood HMO network will not be affected if an agreement is not reached.
For more information and frequently asked questions, visit the Premera website.
