Providence, Premera reach a deal on employer-sponsored health plans

Providence Health & Services has signed a three-year contract with Premera Blue Cross, ensuring that Washington residents with Premera’s employer-sponsored health insurance can continue to use Providence doctors, hospitals and affiliated clinics.

In July, Providence announced that it would not renew a contract with Premera that ends on Dec. 31. However, the parties announced in late September that they had reached an agreement on a new contract, which was signed this week.

This agreement is only for Premera’s Heritage Plus network, which provides commercial/employer-sponsored health plans.

Medicare patients were not affected by the contract dispute.

The new agreement does not include Premera’s Heritage Prime network, or Premera’s individual networks Heritage Signature and LifeWise Connect, both of which are available on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange.