With no deal in sight now between Columbia-based MU Health Care and Anthem, a Missouri Senate committee plans a hearing on the issue this month in Jefferson City.
Both Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield and Columbia-based MU Health Care representatives will testify before the Missouri Senate Insurance and Banking Committee on June 30 at the Statehouse. That hearing will begin at 1 pm.
MU Health Care’s 1,200 providers, 80 clinics and seven hospitals have been out of Anthem’s commercial network since April 1, when the two sides failed to reach an agreement to renew the contracts. MU Health Care’s facilities have been removed from Anthem, Blue Cross Blue Shield and HealthLink commercial plans that patients receive through their employer or the ACA marketplace.
MU Health Care has established a dedicated call center at (573) 650-5409 to answer questions from patients.
Missouri Senate President Pro Tem Cindy O’Laughlin (R-Shelbina) called for the hearing on Facebook and says she strongly encourages MU Health Care and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield “to get this figured out prior to the hearing.”
939 the Eagle reached out to both Columbia-based MU Health Care and Anthem on Monday. MU Health Care said there is nothing new to share. An Anthem spokesperson says Anthem wants MU Health Care in their network, but not at a rate Missourians can’t afford. Below is the full one-paragraph statement from the Anthem spokesperson:
“Despite our repeated efforts to resume good-faith negotiations, MU Health Care has made future meetings conditional on Anthem first meeting their terms— an approach that prevents meaningful dialogue. Anthem recently extended a proposal to MU Health Care to continue continuity of care for our most vulnerable members through December 31, 2025. MU Health Care declined that offer. Anthem has offered annual rate increases above the Consumer Price Index (CPI), along with the opportunity to earn more through quality-based incentives. MU Health Care has rejected these offers. We want MU Health Care in our network—but not at a rate Missourians can’t afford.“
