Although Hartford (Conn.) HealthCare and Anthem resolved their dispute, Connecticut lawmakers are seeking information on how the impasse affected residents, according to the Hartford Courant.
Hartford HealthCare and Anthem signed a three-year contract last week, restoring in-network coverage for tens of thousands of Anthem members treated at Hartford HealthCare facilities. The contract is retroactive to Oct. 1, when the previous agreement expired.
Despite the resolution, the Connecticut General Assembly's insurance and real estate committee planned a public hearing for Nov. 28 to probe the dispute.
"While I'm glad that the two sides were finally able to reach a deal, their inability to reach one for seven weeks negatively impacted thousands of Connecticut families and I think we owe it to the citizens of this state to find out what happened and how we can avoid prolonged disputes like this in the future," said state Rep. Sean Scanlon, D-Guilford, according to the report.
Mr. Scanlon's announcement is not the only step Connecticut lawmakers pursued since Hartford HealthCare and Anthem began their feud, which at one point boiled into a lawsuit. Connecticut's lead Democrat, Senate President Pro Tempore Martin Looney, D-New Haven, mulled reintroducing a bill aimed at governing payer-provider negotiations.