December 23—A new contractual agreement was reached between the owner of The Everett Polyclinic and Clinic and Seattle health insurer Regency BlueShieldending a period of uncertainty lasting several months for thousands of His Puget the patients.
Regence announced the “multi-year” deal late Thursday afternoon, confirming in a statement that there should be no disruption to care for current Regence patients seeing doctors at the Polyclinic or The Everett Clinic.
“We are disappointed that the negotiations ultimately created uncertainty for our members and customers, particularly during the triple outbreak of COVID-19, RSV and influenza,” the statement read. “We would like to thank you for your patience as we navigate this difficult negotiation.”
The insurer’s Medicare Advantage contract with Optum, owner of the two groups of doctors, remains under negotiation, after its expiration December 5.
Medigap patients, or those using the Medicare supplemental insurance plan, will continue to receive services from any provider that accepts Medicare, the statement said.
Regency members should expect letters with the update.
A spokesperson for The Everett Polyclinic and Clinic did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Details on the agreement and whether the new contract involves any changes that could affect patients were not immediately available Thursday evening.
Optum, which is owned by healthcare giant UnitedHealth Group, first approached Regence to terminate his contract in October, Regence said. Although few details were shared about the negotiations while they were underway, Regence executives had said Optum had requested “unsustainable rate increases” that would increase costs for members. The contract, after being extended for a few days, was due to expire on Friday.
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