Columbia – Less than a week to go to negotiate an insurance plan, MU Health Care says it is likely that Anthem's customers will see their insurance plans drop as there are no progress in negotiations.
MU Health Care sent an email to students and customers on Monday night to update the status of the negotiations, expressing disappointment at the potential outcome.
MU Health Care is seeking a 39% increase in price over the next three years. This is four times more than inflation, according to Anthem. Anthem claims these demands make healthcare unruly.
Meanwhile, MU Health Care says there is a precedent in seeking price increases, reflecting an increase in costs for providing life-saving care.
This is the timeline of the negotiation process and where it is now.
Negotiation timeline
December 11, 2024: KOMU 8 news reports that Anthem and MU Health Care are working on a new agreement. Anthem has issued its first statement regarding concerns over the proposed price rise. MU Health Care said its service would like to avoid being out of network for anthem users.
MU Health Care is seeking a 39% increase in price over the next three years. This is four times more than inflation, according to Anthem.
February 11, 2025: MU Health Care has announced that the system's participation in the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Medicare Advantage will end by the end of March. Anthem announced that MU Health Care is demanding a price increase of 39% over three years, which was not initially offered, but in that view it was still too much. Mu Health Care said it hopes negotiations will be over.
February 19, 2025: Negotiations between MU Healthcare and the national anthem stalled, with little progress achieved. “We've been negotiating for quite some time, but progress is at a dead end,” Laura Morris, chief medical officer of outpatient care, said in an email to state workers. A spokesman for the national anthem said the price increases proposed will pose challenges for the entire state.
March 24, 2025: MU Health Care emailed state workers, saying “it seems likely to be out of network periods.” MU Health Care expressed dissatisfaction with Anthem throughout the negotiation process.
March 31, 2025: Contract deadline between MU Health Care and Anthem.
April 1, 2025: MU Healthcare providers and facilities are out of Anthem's commercial network.
