Negotiations between Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and Aetna have stalled as the April 15 deadline approaches.
Spartanburg Regional said they are no longer in negotiations with Aetna due to what they call a “sharp departure from standard Medicare payment practices.”
Source: WSPA
Upstate residents with Aetna health insurance may find their care at Spartanburg Regional Health System out of network.
An Aetna spokesperson confirmed the insurance company is currently in negotiations with Spartanburg Regional. The two sides have not yet reached a new agreement.
Spartanburg Regional Health System will become out of network for Aetna commercial and Medicare Advantage health plans if a deal is not reached by April 16, according to the spokesperson.
The insurance company said, “We continue to negotiate with Spartanburg Health System (including Regional Health Plus) in good faith with the goal of reaching a fair agreement that keeps them in our network.”
Spartanburg Regional Medical System issued the following statement:
Aetna’s latest Medicare proposal implemented a significant policy change in their Medicare agreement that deviates from long-standing practices, making it impossible for us to accept the current terms. Although we’ve made progress on the commercial contract, Aetna is now linking both agreements; if we don’t sign the revised Medicare contract, both our Medicare and commercial agreements will expire on April 15th.
Sources: Fox Carolina, WSPA
Cigna and Tenet Healthcare reached an agreement in their contract dispute, spokespersons confirmed on December 31.
“An agreement has been reached with Tenet Healthcare, their physicians and ambulatory surgery centers to continue providing in-network healthcare with no interruption in coverage for our customers,” a Cigna spokesperson told Becker’s. “Together we will continue improving the health and vitality of the people we both serve in the community through access to affordable care.”
A Tenet Healthcare spokesperson confirmed the agreement to the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.
Sources: Becker’s Payer Issues, South Florida Sun-Sentinel via InsuranceNewsNet
As the countdown to New Year’s Eve shortens, Tenet Healthcare and Cigna remain at odds. The current contract expires on December 31, 2025.
This contract affects hospitals and facilities in eight states: Arizona, California, Florida, Massachusetts, Michigan, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas. On their microsite for members, Tenet estimates that millions of patients in these states could be impacted.
While Cigna has not established a microsite for members, they did issue the following statement:
It’s disappointing that Tenet Healthcare is choosing to terminate our contract and spending untold amounts of dollars on expensive advertising to stoke fear among patients as a negotiating tactic. Unfortunately, Tenet is seeking contract terms that would inflate the cost of care unreasonably, making their hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers much more expensive for patients than other facilities.
If the contract expires, continuity of care provisions will apply.
Sources: Becker’s Payer Issues, Tenet Healthcare
It appears that the negotiations between Lexington Health and Cigna have broken down, at least for the moment. The breakdown at this late date suggests that Lexington Health very likely will exit the Cigna network as of January 1, 2026.
Lexington Health is telling all patients to contact Cigna directly for more information. Continuity of care and emergency room access policies will apply.
Both Cigna and Lexington Health said they’re still open to negotiating an agreement, but their respective statements strongly suggest they’re not doing so right now.
Source: WIS
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and UnitedHealthcare have reached a three-year agreement for coverage. This ensures UnitedHealthcare members will have in-network access to Spartanburg Regional’s hospitals, facilities and physician network.
Source: WYFF
Lexington Health (Lexington Medical Center) is reporting that their current network negotiations with Cigna are seeming “doubtful.” The current contract will expire on December 31, 2025.
As of this writing, I was not able to find a statement from Cigna, but I will continue to monitor.
Source: Lexington Health
UnitedHealthcare and Spartanburg Regional Health System have reached an agreement in principle, with a short extension of the current contract while they finalize.
Source: UnitedHealthcare