HCA hospitals may soon be out-of-network for thousands of Tennesseans
HCA Healthcare hospitals in Tennessee and Kentucky will be out-of-network for tens of thousands — including Metro Nashville employees and retirees — if an ongoing contract dispute with health insurer Cigna is not settled by the end of this month, the hospital system announced Monday.
In the Nashville region, the contract dispute includes all TriStar hospitals.
In a statement, Nashville Mayor John Cooper's office said Monday night it was "taken by surprise" when it learned of the contract dispute last week.
"I have reached out to both companies strongly encouraging them to resolve the contract differences and to keep me apprised of their progress so our employees, our teachers and our residents do not have to worry about a disruption to their health care," Cooper said.
"It is urgent that the two come to a resolution."
In a statement Tuesday morning, Cigna blamed the impasse on "significant rate increases" demanded by HCA.
“We want to keep health care affordable for our clients and customers, especially as they are managing rising prices due to inflation, and have been negotiating in good faith with TriStar Health for months to try and reach a reasonable, affordable contract in line with other providers," the company said in a written statement.
Nashville public school employees: About 8,000 may be impacted
The health insurer provides health coverage for about 8,000 Metro Nashville Public Schools employees, said MNPS spokesman Sean Braisted.
"If HCA and Cigna can’t reach an agreement, it would certainly be a challenge for some of our employees who use the TriStar system," Braisted wrote in an email to The Tennessean. "We are optimistic that Cigna will reach an agreement with TriStar which would be in the best interest of our employees and the health care system alike."
Braisted added that the region is home to other in-network hospital providers, including Vanderbilt University Medical Center and Ascension Saint Thomas' health centers.
Cigna did not immediately return a request for comment.
"We are working very hard right now to prevent this from happening," HCA said in a news release on the company's website. "We certainly understand how unsettling this prospect may be for you and assure you we are actively negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement with Cigna Healthcare. Our goal is to reach a compromise with Cigna Healthcare so you and your loved ones can continue to have the convenient access you expect within your community."
Customers: How to find out more information
HCA has provided an information line for beneficiaries with questions about the dispute at 800-449-6425. It operates Monday through Friday from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. CT.
Rachel Wegner contributed to this report.
Frank Gluck is the health care reporter for The Tennessean. He can be reached at fgluck@tennessean.com. Follow him on Twitter at @FrankGluck.
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This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Metro Nashville workers in middle of hospital, health insurance dispute
