MaineHealth officials are standing firm on their decision to drop Anthem from its flagship hospital, Bangor Daily News reported April 20.
MaineHealth said earlier this month the 637-bed Maine Medical Center in Portland would exit Anthem's provider network in January. MaineHealth has alleged the payer owes more than $70 million in unpaid claims over the past three years.
Gov. Janet Mills urged the sides to avoid the split, which she said would significantly harm the cost of and access to care for the state's Anthem customers.
But in its first extensive comments since the announcement, MaineHealth said there is "no indication Anthem is prepared to change its business practices" in a way that would cause it to reconsider the decision," Bangor Daily News reported.
Anthem has accused Maine Medical Center of overcharging patients for years, according to the report. MaineHealth countered that claim, alleging Anthem used out-of-context billing details to create a misleading picture of the hospital's charging policies.
The sides are negotiating through a mediator, according to the report.