Contact: Sara Benzel
(608) 852-2605 sbenzel@uwhealth.org
Statement from UW Health on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield negotiation
MADISON, Wis. – Over the past several months, UW Health has met with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Wisconsin to renegotiate our agreement, which is currently slated to expire on April 15, 2025.
The agreement impacts commercial, Medicaid and Medicare Advantage products, and includes UW Hospitals and Clinics, UW Medical Foundation, Madison Surgery Center, Generations Fertility Care, UW Health Rehabilitation Hospital, UW Health Care Direct and UnityPoint Health – Meriter.
Our goal in these negotiations has been a fair agreement that ensures our patients with Anthem insurance products continue to have access to the best care in Wisconsin. Unfortunately, Anthem’s current offer is neither fair to their members nor our care teams. Publicly available data shows that Anthem has agreed to much higher reimbursement rates for other Wisconsin health systems than they have for UW Health. Despite that fact, Anthem has proposed that UW Health receive an increase well below the rate of inflation. Anthem is also demanding the ability to unilaterally change payment terms without a renegotiation, which can put patient care at risk.
Many Anthem members rely on UW Health for health care needs ranging from primary care to complex care like organ transplants, for which we are often the best and sometimes only option. Many of our patients already struggle with the overuse of prior authorization requirements imposed by Anthem. These prior authorization requirements and the prospect of unilateral changes to payment terms can delay or even deny life-saving care.
We recognize that Anthem’s $6 billion in annual profit is built on deals like this, forced upon health systems and their patients. However, we continue to negotiate in good faith for a fair deal on behalf of our patients and the 25,000 UW Health team members that provide them care.
At this time, our patients with Anthem insurance are still in network with UW Health and all of its affiliates. If an agreement is not reached by April 15, 2025, UW Health will no longer be in-network for patients with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Wisconsin insurance. While we hope to avoid this outcome, we believe securing fair terms and payment for the care we provide is essential to the long-term well-being of our system and our ability to continue providing remarkable care for our patients.
Patients are receiving notification of this potential termination from Anthem, which is required at least 45 days before the potential termination of an agreement. We will also contact UW Health patients with Anthem insurance to ensure they are aware of this potential change.
UW Health is committed to caring for our patients, including those with Anthem insurance during this negotiation period.
We encourage patients with Anthem insurance to reach out to their employer to ask them to advocate for keeping UW Health in network, or to call the number on their Anthem insurance card to ask Anthem to keep UW Health in network.
