Elmira WellNow Urgent Cares no longer accepting Excellus coverage. What you should know

Emily Barnes, Elmira Star-Gazette
Updated ·3 min read

As of Jan. 1, WellNow Urgent Cares no longer accept Excellus BlueCross BlueShield insurance.

WellNow, which has two urgent care locations in the Elmira area along with over 70 other urgent cares statewide, sought rate increases from Excellus, which the health plan claimed would have exceeded the rates paid for other local providers.

As of Jan. 1, WellNow Urgent Care left the Excellus BlueCross BlueShield network, which covers 1.5 million New Yorkers. Excellus BlueCross BlueShield customers can still seek care at WellNow locations, but the urgent cares will be out of their insurance network.

"It was WellNow’s decision to leave our provider network on Jan. 1, 2024," an Excellus spokesperson said in a written statement Thursday. "While we’re disappointed by their decision, our focus now is on assisting our members with questions they may have around plan coverage and options for care."

How this may affect WellNow employees, patients

WellNow previously noted in a letter to patients Excellus' rate has been flat for the past decade, making it unsustainable for the urgent care chain and may lead to the closure of some clinics in New York if fair pay rates aren't agreed upon among insurance carriers.

The urgent care chain also noted it has 2,500 health care workers who could be impacted by any potential site closures.

WellNow Urgent Cares are located at 503 Park Place in Elmira and 830 County Road 64 in Big Flats.

"WellNow has been negotiating in good faith with Excellus for a long time. However, despite WellNow’s best efforts, Excellus has failed to commit to reasonable rates for services," said WellNow Chief Medical Officer Dr. Robert Biernbaum.

Insurance coverage woes: WellNow Urgent Care, Excellus BlueCross BlueShield clash over rates

Despite WellNow's coverage change, there is still an urgent care option for those insured by Excellus in the Elmira area.

Elmira Urgent Care at 360 W. Water St. is covered by Excellus BlueCross BlueShield.

Which insurances do WellNow urgent cares accept in NY?

WellNow previously ended its network affiliation with EmblemHealth in May, citing inflationary pressures and the rising cost to provide medical care.

And in June, WellNow closed three urgent care sites and delayed opening four others in the Capital Region, citing in part the end of federal pandemic aid, reduced demand for COVID-19 tests and health worker shortages nationally, as first reported by the Times Union.

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Other insurance plans WellNow accepts include:

  • Aetna Health/Meritain

  • Amerigroup

  • Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield

  • Blue Cross Blue Shield

  • Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan (CDPHP)

  • CDPHP Universal Benefits

  • Cigna (with MVP or MultiPlan network logo)

  • Empire BlueCross BlueShield (Anthem)

  • Empire UnitedHealthCare

  • Excellus BCBS- select regions in NY only

  • Fidelis Care

  • Highmark Northeastern New York

  • Highmark Western New York

  • Humana ChoiceCare Network

  • Humana Military/TriCare

  • Independent Health

  • Lifetime Benefits Solutions

  • Martin’s Point

  • Med Priority

  • Medicare Advantage Plans

  • Medicare Part B

  • Molina Healthcare

  • MVP Health Plan

  • MVP Select Care

  • Nova Healthcare

  • NYS Medicaid

  • Pennsylvania Medicaid – Limited locations (Jamestown, Lakewood, Olean, Big Flats)

  • Railroad Medicare

  • TriCare East – Humana Military

  • UMR - A UnitedHealthcare Company

  • UnitedHealthcare

  • UnitedHealthcare Empire Plan

  • Univera Healthcare

  • UPMC Health Plan

  • VA Community Care Network

  • WellCare by Fidelis Care

  • WellCare Today’s Options Medicare Advantage Plus

  • Workers’ Comp and Employer First Aid

New York State team reporter David Robinson contributed to this report.

Emily Barnes is the New York State Team consumer advocate reporter for the USA TODAY Network. Contact Barnes at ebarnes@gannett.com or on Twitter @byemilybarnes.

This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: WellNow Urgent Cares drop Excellus coverage in Elmira, Big Flats