Carle Health will treat Aetna Medicare Advantage members after the two sides reached a tentative contract agreement, CBS affiliate WCIA reported Oct. 31.
The contract dispute raised concerns among Illinois state retirees, as Aetna Medicare Advantage will be the only option offered to former state employees in 2023. Retirees were previously offered plans from UnitedHealthcare and Humana, in addition to Aetna.
The Urbana, Ill.-based health system is the major provider in Central Illinois, WCIA reported. The dispute with Aetna affected around 11,000 state retirees who received care from Carle Health.
Carle Health CFO Dennis Hesch told the news station the contract is tentative, but both sides are confident it will be finalized.
"We're extremely happy to get this done," Mr. Hesch told WCIA. "To be able to announce to the state retirees that they'll be able to continue the care. I know there's been a lot of anxiety to date on this and so we're very happy to get to this point."