We believe Health Comes First

For now, nothing changes. You should continue to visit St. Mary’s hospitals, facilities, and physicians as you normally would. We are working hard to reach a new agreement before January 1, 2025 to avoid care disruption, but we need Humana to join us and put patients first.

St. Mary’s is negotiating with Humana for a new agreement that appropriately covers the cost of the care we provide patients with Humana Medicare Advantage plans. Our current contract will expire January 1, 2025. Negotiations are a routine part of doing business, and we are working to improve our relationship with Humana. As one of the nation’s largest and most profitable health insurance companies, Humana has made it increasingly difficult for St. Mary’s to invest in the medical innovations, technologies, and programs patients rely on by delaying patient care or refusing to pay for care altogether.

As a trusted local care provider, we work tirelessly to care for our patients and communities. We also continue to reduce costs and implement efficiencies to ensure we can continue providing top-quality care to our patients. But we can’t continue to do it alone. We cannot maintain access to the care and services patients depend on and need without a fair agreement from Humana

Our current agreement expires effective January 1, 2025.

As we approach open enrollment season, St. Mary’s wants to ensure that patients are fully informed about their options for 2025. Our goal is to secure a contract with Humana and minimize disruption to our patients’ care. However, we believe it is crucial to keep our community aware of the situation, should we encounter difficulties in reaching a fair agreement with Humana.

Patients with Humana Medicare Advantage health plans will be impacted.

All St. Mary’s hospitals, facilities, and employed providers are impacted by these contract negotiations.

While our negotiations with Humana continue, you can take these steps to protect your access to in-network care with St. Mary’s:

• If you are eligible for Medicare Advantage, the Annual Enrollment Period ends on December 7th and you can continue looking for plans through that time, even if you have already made a selection. You can contact MedicareCompareUSA licensed Medicare advisors at MedicareOnDemand.com or call our Medicare insurance helpline toll-free at (855) 562-7230 to review what options include St. Mary’s providers. We work with many health plans that will give you in-network access to St. Mary’s for the 2025 benefit year. To view the complete list of insurance plans we accept, visit https://www.stmaryshealthcaresystem.org/for-patients/billing-insurance/accepted-insurance. Please note that we are also in negotiations with Aetna.
• Never delay care. You will always have in-network access to our emergency department. Regardless of our network status with Humana, you should always visit the closest emergency department if you experience a medical emergency.
• If you're undergoing treatment for a chronic condition, call the number on the back of your Humana insurance card to request a Continuity of Care form. This will help ensure that you can continue receiving in-network care at St. Mary’s for a limited time but requires Humana’s approval.
• If you receive insurance through your employer, ask about health plans that include St. Mary’s. Your employer may be able to provide you with secondary health plan coverage that includes access to your trusted caregivers.
• Call the number on the back of your insurance card and express how this negotiation is impacting your access to the providers and services you know and trust at St. Mary’s.

We work with many other health plans offering Medicare Advantage products that will give you in-network access to St. Mary’s for the 2025 benefit year. You can view a list of the plans we accept at https://www.stmarys-health.org/for-patients/billing-insurance/accepted-insurance. Please note that we are also in negotiations with Aetna.

If you are already admitted to the hospital before January 1, 2025, you will be covered at in-network rates through the end of your inpatient stay.

We understand that some patients may have appointments scheduled on or after January 1. If possible, you should call your provider’s office to request that the appointment or procedure be rescheduled before January 1. If you are unable to reschedule your appointment or choose to keep your appointment, you may have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs for your care with St. Mary’s if Humana forces us out of its provider network

Patients will always have in-network access to our emergency rooms, regardless of our status with Humana. If you experience an emergency, you should always visit the nearest emergency room. Patients needing emergency care can receive in-network treatment until the patient is stable.

For the most up-to-date information, we encourage you to contact us by visiting www.stmarys-health.org/humana or calling our patient hotline at (706) 225-8515.