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Update: United, Affinity back to negotiating table
Greg Hilburn ghilburn@gannett.com
Patients insured by United Healthcare may not be able to access care from northeastern Louisiana's largest network of general practitioners beginning next year if the two sides fail to agree on a new contract.
Affinity Health Group mailed letters to its clients last week informing them of the decision to sever its relationship with United beginning Jan. 1, 2016 after the insurer said it would reduce Medicaid reimbursements by about 28 percent, Affinity's Michael Echols said.
United is a commercial insurance provider for such signature employers as CenturyLink, the largest public company headquartered in Louisiana, and the city of Monroe.
Echols, director of business development, said United told Affinity if it didn't accept the lower Medicaid reimbursements it wouldn't agree for Affinity to be a provider for its commercially insured patients.
"Basically, United said it's all or nothing," Echols said. "Almost 70 percent of our pediatric patients are insured by Medicaid (through Bayou Health providers like United). Our doctors decided they wouldn't let United hold us hostage with those children and OK'd the termination of the entire contract."
Echols said United has since come back to the negotiating table.
"We've been open to negotiations during the entire process; we just want to be treated fairly," Echols said. "We're more than willing to work with United."
United Healthcare's Daryl Richard, vice president of corporate communications, said Tuesday morning the company is optimistic the two sides can work out a deal.
"We have been meeting regularly with Affinity Health Group and are hopeful they will renew their participation in our network, giving northeastern Louisiana residents continued in-network access to their physicians without increasing the cost of their health care," Richard said.
Though an agreement could still be worked out before Jan. 1, Echols said Medicaid patients could turn to other providers like Louisiana Healthcare Connections and AmeriGroup Louisiana during annual enrollment to assure continued access to Affinity clinics and physicians.
Affinity is a subsidiary of Vantage Health Plan, which is also headquartered in Monroe.
Follow Greg Hilburn on Twitter @GregHilburn1