SPRINGFIELD — Wellpoint members will continue to have access to Baystate Health’s resources after the health benefits company and healthcare organization reached a new multi-year contract on Dec. 10.
A Wellpoint spokesperson said they would not disclose specific information surrounding the new contract, but the agreement means that Baystate Health’s hospitals, facilities, doctor offices, convenient care and ancillary service centers, as well as affiliated physicians through Baystate will continue to be available for Wellpoint members “on Jan. 1 and beyond.”
“We are extremely pleased to have reached a new agreement with Wellpoint and ensure continued access for health plan members to the care they receive at Baystate Health and our affiliated physicians through Baycare Health Partners,” said Peter Banko, president and CEO of Baystate Health. “From the beginning, our mutual goal was to ensure we continue to meet the needs of our patients today and in the future and protect their access to essential services in Western Massachusetts.”
The agreement comes 21 days before the Dec. 31 deadline, which is when the current contract agreement was set to expire.
Before Dec. 10, there was a possibility that an agreement was not going to be reached.
In the beginning of the month, Wellpoint sent a letter to its members saying Baystate informed them that it would stop accepting Wellpoint members after Dec. 31 unless Wellpoint agreed to its demands to charge members prices that are more than three times the rate of inflation.
“Members and taxpayers can’t afford these drastic price hikes,” the Wellpoint letter read.
The letter caught the attention of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno, who said in a statement that a lack of a contract agreement between Wellpoint and Baystate would negatively impact nearly half of his 2,500 city employees.
Upon hearing of the Wellpoint letter, leaders of the Western Mass. delegation sent a letter to both entities sharing their own concerns about the lack of a contract.
“The commonwealth has long prided itself as a national leader in healthcare access, innovation and quality,” the letter read. “Ensuring that constituents can access the care they need without undue financial burden or stress is central to maintaining this legacy.”
Just one day after this letter was sent, Wellpoint and Baystate made their agreement.
“We worked tirelessly to come to an agreement that preserves access to high-quality, affordable care at Baystate Health for Wellpoint members,” said David Morales, general manager of Wellpoint. “We are pleased that our longstanding partnership with Baystate Health will continue promoting preventive care and supporting the whole health of the individuals our organizations serve across the Springfield region.”
Hours after the contract was reached, Sarno released another statement saying he thanked Morales and Banko for coming to a “plausible agreement.”
“My number one priority was to stand up to protect and fight for my employees, retirees, and their families so that they would not lose access to their critical medical care at Baystate — the only level one trauma center in Western Massachusetts,” Sarno said. “This gives peace of mind once again to my city employees, retirees, and their families that they will see no interruption or lapse in their health care services within the Baystate Health system.”
Wellpoint said that members with questions can contact Wellpoint Member Services through the Sydney Health app or by calling the number on their Wellpoint ID Card.
