Hartford HealthCare, Anthem agree on new contract

Photo | Flickr/Matthew Hurst Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield offices in St. Louis.

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By Matt Pilon

Connecticut’s biggest health insurer and second-largest hospital system have agreed to a new contract with a few days to spare.

Wallingford-based Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and Hartford HealthCare published separate announcements of their new agreement on Tuesday. The contract, which means care Anthem members receive from Hartford HealthCare will be covered at negotiated in-network rates, takes effect Thursday.

“We know that our members and customers value our continued partnership with HHC and we are glad that they will be able to continue to receive care at HHC on an in-network basis for all existing products,” Anthem said.

“We are pleased that we have ensured uninterrupted access to HHC's services, providers and programs for the Anthem members we are privileged to serve — especially when our communities need us most during this pandemic,” said Dr. James Cardon, HHC’s chief clinical integration officer.

As is usually the case with proprietary hospital-insurer contracts, details about the contents of the new deal, or even its length, were not disclosed.

It’s the first new contract between the two parties since 2017, and less eventful.

That year, Anthem and HHC were unable to come to terms until about seven weeks past the expiration of their old contract, which exposed patients to higher out-of-network rates and spurred lawmaker scrutiny and eventual reforms.