Rockville Centre, N.Y.-based Catholic Health is going out of network with Healthfirst, effective May 15, the health system and the insurer confirmed to Becker’s.
The previous agreement ended March 15. The organizations are currently in a two-month “cooling off period,” during which members can continue receiving care, the insurer said.
Next month, the health system will no longer be available for Healthfirst’s Medicaid, managed Medicaid Personal Wellness Plan, Child Health Plus, Essential Plan and ACA qualified health plan members, Healthfirst said. Patients receiving active treatment may qualify for continuity of care. Catholic Health’s physician group, CHS Physician Partners IPA, will also go out of network.
Neither organization shared how many policyholders would be affected.
The health system said negotiations have continued for several months.
“Despite multiple efforts and reasonable counterproposals, Healthfirst was not willing to agree to terms that would allow us to continue providing care at the level our patients expect and deserve. This outcome is disappointing, but we will not accept terms that compromise our ability to care for our patients,” Catholic Health said in an April 3 statement shared with Becker’s. “Our focus now is on guiding patients through this transition, helping them maintain access to care and identifying alternative coverage options that allow them to continue receiving services within Catholic Health whenever possible.”
A Healthfirst spokesperson said the insurer is still “in discussions” with the health system.
“As a not-for-profit health plan serving over 2 million New Yorkers, our priority is ensuring our members have continued access to high-quality, affordable care in the communities we serve,” a Healthfirst spokesperson said.
However, Catholic Health said negotiations are not continuing.
Becker’s will update this story if more information becomes available.
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