DENVER — The largest health insurance provider in Colorado has reached an agreement with the country's largest Catholic hospital chain, the Colorado Division of Insurance (DOI) announced Monday.
The five-year agreement reached Friday between Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the health care system CommonSpirit Health means the Catholic group’s hospitals, outpatient centers and physicians' offices will be in-network for the more than 40,000 Anthem policy-holders in the state.
The DOI said the agreement is retroactive back to May 1, meaning consumers should not see out-of-network bills for care incurred while the two parties were working to get a new contract in place.
Negotiations between the two healthcare companies broke down just before a previous contract expired on April 30.
Anthem claimed CommonSpirit was demanding unreasonable reimbursement rates. The nonprofit healthcare provider said the rates were meant to ensure it can protect the medical services it provides.
CommonSpirit Health operates at least 12 hospitals in Colorado, including St. Anthony Hospital in Lakewood.
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