Regence, Legacy Health reach agreement on insurance coverage
May 7-Clark County residents with Regence health insurance can once again access all Legacy Health hospitals, clinics, urgent cares and services at in-network rates and benefits after the two organizations reached a new agreement Wednesday.
The new contract is effective retroactively to April 1.
Any Legacy services provided since that date and going forward will be processed as in-network, said Merrin Permut, Legacy's vice president and chief population health officer.
"We recognize this situation may have caused additional stress, and we appreciate your patience," Permut said in a statement. "We remain committed to being here for our patients and communities who trust us to provide high-quality care from providers they trust."
Some 9,300 county residents have Regence health insurance.
Before the new contract, Regence health insurance's network no longer included Legacy Health providers after the two organizations failed to reach a new agreement before their previous contract expired.
Negotiations on a new contract began months ago, with Legacy asking for higher reimbursement rates due to higher operating expenses - the main point of contention between the two organizations.
Permut said that while the new contract does not completely close the financial gap, it more effectively responds to the increased operating costs. Regence described the new agreement as economically sustainable.
"Our teams worked tirelessly and engaged in difficult conversations throughout this negotiation to regain access to cost-effective care for our members with Legacy Health providers," Regence said in a statement.
This story was made possible by Community Funded Journalism, a project from The Columbian and the Local Media Foundation. Top donors include the Ed and Dollie Lynch Fund, Patricia, David and Jacob Nierenberg, Connie and Lee Kearney, Steve and Jan Oliva, The Cowlitz Tribal Foundation and the Mason E. Nolan Charitable Fund. The Columbian controls all content. For more information, visit columbian.com/cfj.
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