WakeMed and Cigna strike a deal, narrowly avoiding higher bills for some patients
After several months of negotiations, insurer Cigna has reached a deal with WakeMed, allowing its members to remain in-network at the health system, the parties announced Friday.
The new two-year contract was announced just days before their previous contract was set to lapse, which likely would have made most WakeMed services — including those at hospitals, outpatient clinics and outpatient surgery centers — more expensive for Cigna members.
The dispute centered around reimbursement rates for the hospital, which a spokesperson for WakeMed said were not previously “fair and equitable.” Any increase to the cost of care would mean greater expenses for local employees and employers, a spokesperson for Cigna told the News & Observer earlier this month.
The new contract begins on Jan. 1 and will make services at all hospitals, outpatient clinics, ambulatory surgery centers, and specialty care physicians in-network.
“This new agreement protects access to care while removing unfair burdens that had been placed on our patients,” the health system wrote in a statement.
Teddy Rosenbluth covers science and health care for The News & Observer in a position funded by Duke Health and the Burroughs Wellcome Fund. The N&O maintains full editorial control of the work.
