A health insurance company and Ohio State University's Wexner Medical Center are negotiating new contract terms. Ohio State's existing contracts with Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield expire at the end of the year.
But the two haven't come to an agreement and in a statement, OSU accuses the insurance company of not playing fair.
Ohio State's medical system issued a statement this week criticizing Anthem. No one from Ohio State or Anthem agreed to talk with WOSU about the issue.
OSU's statement claims the 135,000 people insured by Anthem who have used the hospital system over the last two years are at risk of losing access to medical care in one of the state's largest systems if they don't reach an agreement.
The hospital system accuses Anthem of underpaying claims and aggressively fighting claims, while enjoying record profits of $80 billion dollars over the last five years as one of the country's largest for-profit insurance companies.
"Anthem has underpaid us for the past few years, failing to keep pace with inflation. While Anthem consistently raises employer and member premiums, they have not invested into patient care at the same rate. Our costs to deliver care have risen 45% in the last five years, and, unlike other insurance providers, Anthem has refused to consider appropriate rate adjustments so the health care providers their members trust can cover expenses," the statement reads. "Instead of paying for patient care, Anthem is keeping their members’ money. Anthem’s parent company, Elevance Health, is one of the country’s largest for-profit insurance corporations and has enjoyed record profits – $77.9 billion over the last five years."
Anthem sent a statement, too.
"We are currently in talks with the OSU health system to extend access to affordable care at OSU beyond December 31 for our members covered through their employers. We are optimistic an agreement will be reached. We are concerned that OSU wants to increase its prices for patients and their employers at rates more than three times higher than inflation. These price hikes would increase healthcare costs for Central Ohio by $185 million over the next three years. Ohio’s consumers and employers who would pay these cost increases cannot afford these extreme price hikes," Anthem's statement reads. "We will continue to work with OSU to reach an agreement that maintains access to affordable care for our members."
If the companies don't reach an agreement, the hospital system will no longer be in-network for people with Anthem insurance.
