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Protecting Access and Choice

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At University of Missouri Health Care, we believe every patient deserves to have their insurance cover their health care from the doctors, nurses and care teams they know and trust. We work hard to protect your in-network access by negotiating fair agreements with insurance companies.

Unfortunately, negotiations with Anthem have not been productive. If our commercial contracts expire before an agreement is reached, MU Health Care's services, physicians, advanced practice providers and facilities will be out of Anthem's commercial network starting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

Effective April 1, 2025, MU Health Care will no longer be in network with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield 
Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans. To learn more, visit muhealth.org/anthemMA.


We are a mission-driven system. To continue providing the specialized care our communities rely on, we must advocate for more sustainable and fair reimbursement rates.

If Anthem is unwilling to negotiate fair and acceptable terms, in-network access to MU Health Care services, physicians, advanced practice providers and facilities for Anthem commercial plan members would end as soon as Tuesday, April 1, 2025.

This could lead to higher out-of-pocket costs for Anthem commercial plan members who seek care from MU Health Care physicians, advanced practice providers and facilities and/or having to transition patient care to a new health care provider. Commercial plans are what members get through their employer, as well as the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplace and HealthLink.

MU Health Care strongly desires to continue to care for patients covered by Anthem health plans. We hope that Anthem will commit to new, fair agreement before the current agreement expires on March 31, 2025.

What You Need to Know

  • Certain health conditions may qualify for continuity of care benefits, which would allow you to receive your care at in-network rates for a period of up to 90 days or completion of a course of treatment. While Anthem makes the final determination about eligibility, we're here if you have questions.
  • Emergency care is always covered, regardless of our network status with Anthem. Your health plan is legally required to provide coverage for emergency services at in-network rates.

What You Can Do Today

  • Keep all scheduled appointments and procedures with MU Health Care, and avoid delaying routine health screenings, procedures and important tests.
  • If you receive your Anthem insurance through your employer, tell your Human Resources or Benefits Department that you want to keep access to MU Health Care’s providers and services.
  • Call Anthem at the number on the back of your insurance card and let them know you want to keep access to the MU Health Care providers and services you trust.

We remain committed to working in good faith to reach a new contract that would protect our patients’ ability to continue receiving convenient, local care from the MU Health Care providers they trust.

MU Health Care's Goals:

  • Protect patients' ability to choose and access convenient, local care offered by MU Health Care physicians and advanced practice providers.
  • Avoid any interruptions in care for patients insured through Anthem commercial and Medicare Advantage plans.
  • Continue our organization's mission to save and improve lives – through exemplary education, research and patient care.
  • Minimize administrative burdens that delay necessary care for our patients.

Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s Position:

  • Unwilling to commit to new agreements that prioritize patient access and alleviate unnecessary administrative burdens.
  • Refusing MU Health Care's good faith attempts to collaborate.
  • Creating undue stress for patients and providers.
  • Inaccurately reflecting the industry inflation rates and cost pressures facing health systems today.

This change will not impact Mizzou Pharmacy retail services or patients with Healthy Blue Medicaid and University of Missouri Student Advantage plans.

  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is owned by Elevance Health, a publicly traded, for-profit corporation.
    • As one of the largest for-profit insurance companies in the country, Elevance realized $5.99 billion in net income in 2023, an increase of 60% from $3.75 billion in 2018. In their 2023 earnings report, Elevance indicates the strong performance of its Health Benefits segment was primarily driven by higher premium revenue in its Commercial Health Benefits business.
    • Anthem has selectively referenced modest national inflation rates that support their description of the proposal on rates as "unprecedented." Across the nation, hospitals have seen their costs increase 17% in the past year alone.
    • Across the country, commercial insurers are earning record profits, while patients are paying higher premiums for poorer coverage. Research by the American Hospital Association shows that 62 percent of patients have had treatment delayed by their insurer, causing many of them to become sicker.
    • According to the Missouri Department of Commerce & Insurance's 2023 Health Insurance Market Report, Anthem and its peers increased annual premiums to employer groups by as much as 37% over the last decade, but did not pass on those rate increases to health care providers.
    • MU Health Care is experiencing a high rate of claims' denials – 30% of Anthem's bills are 90 days overdue – and delays in treatment authorization by Anthem, impacting patients’ access to care.
  • MU Health Care is the only academic health system, Level 1 Trauma Center and Children’s Hospital in central Missouri.
  • As a safety net hospital and regional referral center, we care for patients in all 114 Missouri counties and beyond.
  • Our mission as a public institution and safety net hospital is unique and vital to the health of Missouri communities across the state.
    • Our mission is to save and improve lives – through exemplary education, research and patient care, and caring for our patients is our top priority. By refusing to adequately pay for our services, Anthem is putting our ability to provide the convenient, local care our patients and communities need and deserve at risk.
    • MU Health Care understands the importance of access to care in rural communities and continues to support our rural communities by making significant investments into keeping their care close to home.

Our negotiation is about more than rates – we're seeking fair business practices for our patients and clinicians. MU Health Care has experienced an increase in operational costs due to increasingly burdensome administrative requirements that have resulted in delays in authorization for care, increased claims denials and delays in payment for the high-acuity services we provide to Anthem’s members.

Questions?

For any other questions, call our dedicated community information line at 573-650-5409, available Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. CST.