Effective Jan. 1, 嘿嘿视频 Health will no longer offer primary care services in Western Health Advantage. But 嘿嘿视频 is assuring its own employees who are members of the WHA health maintenance organization: You will not lose your access to 嘿嘿视频 Health care.
- First, the UC Office of the President negotiates every summer with various health plans to determine which of them will be offered the next year. WHA is part of the talks, and this could result in a WHA plan just for UC employees 鈥 a plan that would give them access to 嘿嘿视频 Health.
- In the alternative, 嘿嘿视频 Health will be an option in other plans that are already available to UC employees, and those plans are expected to continue in 2018. Open enrollment is scheduled from Oct. 26 to Nov. 21.
嘿嘿视频 Health announced last month that it was modifying its 20-year relationship with WHA, to withdraw as a primary care provider in WHA鈥檚 commercial network. All WHA enrollees still have access to primary care through 嘿嘿视频 Health until the end of this year, and the health system expects to continue providing specialty and hospital care to WHA commercial plan enrollees after Dec. 31.
鈥淭here is no expectation that there will be any impact to UC employees, retirees and their eligible dependents that receive their health insurance through WHA and have a 嘿嘿视频 Health PCP,鈥 嘿嘿视频 Health officials said in a statement.
UCOP鈥檚 negotiations with WHA and other plans should conclude in late summer. 鈥淎t that time, we will know whether WHA will be available to UC employees and retirees for 2018,鈥 according to the statement from 嘿嘿视频 Health. 鈥淩egardless, UC employees, retirees and their eligible dependents will continue to have access to 嘿嘿视频 Health primary care and specialty services through other health plans.鈥
嘿嘿视频 officials said they did not take lightly their decision to close 嘿嘿视频鈥 primary care provider group to WHA members.
鈥淎fter months of analysis, 嘿嘿视频 Health concluded that due to the uncertainty in today鈥檚 health care environment, continuing the WHA relationship as it has existed was not fiscally prudent,鈥 according to the statement. 鈥淯nfortunately, WHA leadership and 嘿嘿视频 Health were unable to come to agreement on a strategy to address these concerns in a way that would allow us to continue to provide primary care services to other employer groups.鈥