Negotiations between Columbia-based MU Health Care and Anthem have stalled, and it’s unclear when they will resume.
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’s Eric Maze tells 939 the Eagle that MU Health Care remains open to meaningful discussions with Anthem. Mr. Maze also says there are no formal negotiations scheduled at this time. MU Health Care has established a dedicated call center at (573) 650-5409 to answer your questions. You can call that number weekdays between 8 am and 6 pm.
An Anthem spokesperson says their goal has always been, and remains, to have MU Health Care as part of the Anthem network, just not at any cost. Anthem tells 939 the Eagle that its priority remains keeping healthcare accessible and affordable, saying if it’s not affordable it’s not accessible. The Anthem spokesperson says no one is getting increases over the next three years at the pace MU Health Care is demanding. Anthem also says the offer they’ve put forward exceeds the Consumer Price Index (CPI) annually.
Anthem has also released a recent open letter to the community on this issue.
