HARTFORD – Today, U.S. Senator Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) and U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) called on Hartford Healthcare’s President and CEO, Elliot Joseph, and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield’s President and General Manager, Jill Hummel, to quickly resolve the organizations’ recent contract dispute, which has threatened access to healthcare services for more than 100,000 Connecticut residents.

“We write to express our concern for the patients and policyholders affected by the recent contract dispute between your organizations. Without a quick resolution, patients, especially those who are dealing with chronic or acute illnesses, will be left with a difficult choice of either paying higher out-of-network rates or finding care elsewhere with another provider. Connecticut has been one of the nation’s leaders in health care reform and broad expansion of coverage under the Affordable Care Act. A lengthy impasse would undermine the progress that we have made implementing the law, and we urge you to negotiate in good faith to quickly and expeditiously resolve outstanding issues.”

The full text of the letter is below:

Elliot Joseph
President & Chief Executive Officer
Hartford Healthcare
One State Street, Suite 19
Hartford, CT 06103

Jill Hummel
President & General Manager
Anthem BCBS Connecticut
108 Leigus Road
Wallingford, CT 06492

Dear Mr. Joseph and Ms. Hummel:

We write to express our concern for the patients and policyholders affected by the recent contract dispute between your organizations, which has threatened access to necessary and vital healthcare services for more than 100,000 Connecticut residents that rely on Anthem for health insurance coverage and Hartford Healthcare facilities for medical care.

As you are aware, many people in Connecticut trust Hartford Healthcare because of your breadth of expertise, reputation and geographic reach. Similarly, many people rely on Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield because of your longstanding history in the state and broad network of providers. While we respect the private party negotiation process and make no representations as to the merits of either side’s position, we believe that the current stalemate does a disservice to Connecticut consumers and we urge you to negotiate in good faith to quickly and expeditiously resolve outstanding issues.

Choosing and retaining a health care provider is a deeply personal choice for all individuals. Without a quick resolution, patients, especially those who are dealing with chronic or acute illnesses, will be left with a difficult choice of either paying higher out-of-network rates or finding care elsewhere with another provider. Additionally, this will likely cause significant confusion for patients as to what services will still be considered in-network compared to others that will be deemed out-of-network.

Connecticut has been one of the nation’s leaders in health care reform and broad expansion of coverage under the Affordable Care Act. In this regard, a lengthy impasse would undermine the progress that we have made implementing the law. We hope to continue to work with both of you after this dispute is resolved to continue to move Connecticut’s healthcare system forward. Thank you in advance for your consideration and we hope for a prompt resolution.
Sincerely,


U.S. Senator Chris Murphy


U.S. Senator Richard Blumenthal