WellNow Urgent Cares drop in-network Excellus coverage in NY. What you should know

Emily Barnes, New York State Team
Updated ·3 min read

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

WellNow, which has eight urgent care locations in the Rochester 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.

At the start of this year, 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 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

Which Rochester-area urgent cares can you go to with Excellus?

Despite WellNow's network change with Excellus, there are still many urgent care options for those insured by Excellus in the Rochester area.

Here's a list of urgent cares Monroe County residents can visit that are in network with Excellus BlueCross BlueShield:

  • Acute Kids Urgent Care locations in Greece and Webster

  • Cornerstone Urgent Care on Chili Avenue in Rochester

  • Pediatric Urgent Care of Rochester in Fairport

  • Rochester Walk-In Care on Chili Avenue in Rochester

  • RRH Urgent Care locations in Greece, Henrietta, St. Mary's Campus, Webster and Wilson Center

  • Unity Walk-In Care Center on Genesee Street in Rochester

  • Urgent Care Now in Webster

  • Urgent Care of Henrietta/Extended Medical Services

  • UR Medicine Urgent Care in Greece, Henrietta, Penfield, Pittsford, Spencerport and Webster

  • West End Pediatric Urgent Care on English Road in Rochester

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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.

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 NY. What you should know