At CommonSpirit Health, we are committed to putting the needs of patients first and improving community health. In this spirit, we have been diligently working since December 2023 to secure a new, responsible contract with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of Colorado that protects patient access and choice for essential services in our communities.
Despite our best efforts, Anthem is still unwilling to accept responsible contract terms that safeguard patient care and protect choice of doctors by keeping CommonSpirit Health services in network for members.
To our disappointment, Anthem insisted on removing CommonSpirit from of its network beginning May 1. This means more than 40,000 patients with Anthem insurance no longer have in-network access to nearly* all of CommonSpirit’s hospitals, clinics, physicians and other providers in Colorado. Until a new contract is in place, this will significantly reduce access to care and choice for patients with Anthem insurance.
*Due to separate contracts, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan will remain in Anthem’s network until at least July 11, 2024, and Peak One Surgery Center in Frisco will remain Anthem’s network until at least July 25, 2024. Unless we are able to reach new agreements with Anthem before these dates, these facilities will no longer be in network for Anthem members.
It was never our intent to leave the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network, only to work together in good faith toward a balanced agreement.
Please know that we are continuing to work in good faith toward a new agreement with Anthem.
Profit Comparison Between Anthem and CommonSpirit Health
As a not-for-profit health system, CommonSpirit reinvests every dollar earned back into the communities we serve. In 2023, for example, we invested more than $45 million in Colorado alone to financial assistance for the approximately 70% of our patients who don’t have commercial health insurance.
Conversely, as a for-profit company, Anthem’s enormous annual profits go to its shareholders. If you have Anthem for your health insurance, please call the number on the back of your insurance card and encourage them to reach a fair and reasonable deal.
What you can do
- If you are in active treatment with a CommonSpirit hospital, clinic or doctor, you may qualify for Continuity of Care benefits that protect your in-network access with Anthem to CommonSpirit services. Scroll down to learn more.
- Call Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield at the number on the back of your insurance card and urge Anthem to reach a new agreement with CommonSpirit.
- If you receive insurance coverage through your employer, talk to your human resources or benefits manager and ask them to contact Anthem and ask for a new agreement with CommonSpirit.
- If you have additional questions not answered in our Frequently Asked Questions section below, you may call
877-213-7081 to speak with a member of our team. Representatives are available 9am-9pm MT weekdays and 9am-5pm MT on weekends.
We consider it an honor and a privilege to care for you and our community. We understand and apologize for any inconvenience you may experience while we continue to seek a new agreement with Anthem, and we will provide updates as we move forward.
Patients with Anthem insurance who are currently in active treatment at one of our Colorado hospitals or clinics, or have appointments or procedures scheduled, may qualify for protected in-network access through Continuity of Care benefits.
Continuity of Care is intended to protect patients from having to change providers or having care delayed or disrupted if an agreement between a health plan and provider is terminated. This benefit is a state law, and Anthem, like all licensed health plans, must abide by the requirements. Anthem will decide whether to cover a patient’s treatment under Continuity of Care.
Click here to save and fill out Anthem’s Continuity of Care Request Form, which includes a list of health care conditions that may be covered by Anthem.
Ask your doctor’s office if you need assistance with filling out the Continuity of Care form. For questions about Continuity of Care eligibility, benefits, and access to the form, please call Anthem using the number on the back of your insurance card.
Reinvesting in our communities
We need a contract that enables us to keep building more resilient communities, advocate for the poor and vulnerable, and innovate how and where health can happen—both inside our hospitals and in our communities.
As a not-for-profit health system, we improve community health by reinvesting resources within the communities we serve. We collaborate with local initiatives, community nonprofits, and healthcare partners to create reliable and versatile community resources. Our investments enable access to specialized services and compassionate care, regardless of an individual’s ability to pay.
We reinvest every dollar we earn back into our communities and Colorado has been a significant recipient of these funds over the past decade. For example, in the past year in Colorado, CommonSpirit Health invested more than $45 million in financial assistance. More than two out of every three patients we treat do not have commercial insurance.
Research is fundamental to our commitment to excellence in patient care. By prioritizing clinical excellence and investing in technologies, we benefit both patients and clinicians – patients experience improved health outcomes, while clinicians can advance scientific knowledge and best practices. Our goal is to elevate the well-being of the communities we serve through efficient practices and expanded specialty services.
Although we are ready and willing to continue working toward a new agreement with Anthem, at this time thousands of patients with Anthem insurance no longer have in-network access to CommonSpirit’s hospitals, clinics, physicians & advance practice providers, and services in Colorado.
Until a new contract is in place, this will significantly reduce access to care and choice for patients with Anthem insurance.
Beginning May 1, 2024, Anthem has removed 11 of our Colorado hospitals, as well as our clinics, physicians and advance practice providers in Colorado from its networks.
Yes, patients will still be able to access care from our hospitals, clinics, physicians and providers.
However, until a new agreement is reached, Anthem will classify CommonSpirit as out-of-network in Colorado, leading to increasing costs for members receiving nonemergency services from CommonSpirit physicians and hospitals.
Additionally, some patients may be forced to travel great distances to receive care – especially specialized care – and our ability to treat underserved or underinsured patients in low-income communities will be jeopardized.
Until we reach a new agreement, 11 of CommonSpirit’s Colorado hospitals, as well as dozens of clinics and practices, and hundreds of physicians and advanced practice providers will no longer be in network for Anthem consumers.
These include:
- Longmont United Hospital
- Mercy Hospital (Durango)
- OrthoColorado Hospital (Lakewood)
- Penrose Hospital (Colorado Springs)
- St. Francis Hospital (Colorado Springs)
- St. Francis-Interquest Hospital (Colorado Springs)
- St. Anthony Hospital (Lakewood)
- St. Anthony North Hospital (Westminster)
- St. Anthony Summit Hospital (Frisco)
- St. Mary-Corwin Hospital (Pueblo)
- St. Thomas More Hospital (Cañon City)
Due to separate contracts, St. Elizabeth Hospital in Fort Morgan will remain in Anthem’s network until at least July 11, 2024, and Peak One Surgery Center in Frisco will remain Anthem’s network until at least July 25, 2024. Unless we are able to reach new agreements with Anthem before these dates, these facilities will no longer be in network for Anthem members.
Our good-faith negotiations have aimed to safeguard patient care and protect their choice of doctors.
Despite historic inflation, Anthem’s proposals have failed to offer terms that fairly reimburse for services provided to its members, and equitably cover the burden to get reimbursed timely and accurately. Our rates support services provided by hundreds of our physicians, advanced practice providers, and nurses, as well as our hospitals and dozens of clinics and practices throughout Colorado.
We need Anthem to acknowledge what is at stake for patients and agree to contract terms that will allow us to retain healthcare professionals, ensure access to providers and continuity of care, sustain and introduce new services to the community, invest in technology, and maintain our premier facilities throughout the state.
We are doing everything we can to protect patient access to the doctors, nurses and services they know and trust. Our goal is to reach a new agreement and to avoid any disruptions for patients. We will continue working with Anthem in good faith to reach a new agreement that protects patients’ access to essential services.
Patients with Anthem insurance who are currently in active treatment at one of our Colorado hospitals or clinics, or have appointments or procedures scheduled, may qualify for protected in-network access through Continuity of Care benefits.
Continuity of Care is intended to protect patients from having to change providers or having care delayed or disrupted if an agreement between a health plan and provider is terminated. This benefit is a state law, and Anthem, like all licensed health plans, must abide by the requirements. Anthem will decide whether to cover a patient’s treatment under Continuity of Care.
Click here to save and fill out Anthem’s Continuity of Care Request Form, which includes a list of health care conditions that may be covered by Anthem.
Ask your doctor’s office if you need assistance with filling out the Continuity of Care form. For questions about Continuity of Care eligibility, benefits, and access to the form, please call Anthem using the number on the back of your insurance card.
If a traditional Medicare patient has an Anthem plan as secondary coverage, benefits should be verified prior to service after May 1, 2024. For patients with Anthem Medicare plans as their primary insurance, CommonSpirit is out of network as of May 1, 2024. However, for patients with traditional Medicare coverage as their primary insurance, patients can see any licensed Medicare provider, including CommonSpirit providers
Members of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee (FEP) Program will continue to receive in-network benefits from Anthem for care at CommonSpirit facilities in Colorado until June 30, 2024.
- Call Anthem at the number on the back of your insurance card and urge Anthem to work with CommonSpirit doctors and nurses on a new agreement.
- If you have insurance through your employer, talk to your human resources or benefits representative and urge them to contact Anthem. You may also want to ask them about alternate or secondary coverage options that will protect your in-network access to CommonSpirit hospitals, clinics, physicians and providers.
- If you have additional questions about our efforts to remain in-network with Anthem that are not answered here, you may call 877-213-7081 to speak with a member of our team. Representatives are available 9am-9pm MT weekdays and 9am-5pm MT on weekends.
10 am:
One week ago, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield removed 40,000 patients from in-network services at CommonSpirit Health. At this very moment, our team is hard at work negotiating a new contract that protects access to the doctors and nurses you trust. We are moving with urgency as we again ask Anthem for rates that allow us to continue and expand our services in rural communities, ensures we maintain the top-tier doctors who treat your complex needs, and invest in the technology needed to keep you whole and healthy.
1 pm:
As a not-for-profit health system, CommonSpirit reinvests every dollar earned back into the communities we serve. In 2023, for example, we invested more than $45 million in Colorado alone to financial assistance for the approximately 70% of our patients who don’t have commercial health insurance. Conversely, as a for-profit company, Anthem’s enormous annual profits go to its shareholders. If you have Anthem for your health insurance, please call the number on the back of your insurance card and encourage Anthem to reach a fair and reasonable deal.
10 am:
Our week begins with new optimism for a fair and reasonable contract as negotiations resume this morning with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado. Our doctors, nurses and care teams understand every minute counts when you are facing a health issue, which is why we will continue to ask Anthem for a fair and reasonable contract. If you have questions about your health care coverage with Anthem, please call 877-213-7081 to speak with a member of our team. Representatives are available 9am-9pm MT weekdays and 9am-5pm MT on weekends.
1 pm:
We consider it an honor and a privilege to care for you and our community. You, our patients, are our priority. At Anthem, the shareholders come first. During our call with Anthem today, we continued to ask for fair and reasonable rates, but the gap remains the same. We encourage everyone who is out of network with Anthem to ask their employer to explore partnerships with a different insurance provider – one that would allow you to continue accessing CommonSpirit’s network of 20 hospitals, 260 clinics and hundreds of skilled physicians and advanced practice providers.
12 pm:
From the beginning, CommonSpirit Health has negotiated openly and transparently with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado. We believe you deserve the same transparency. We received a counteroffer from Anthem Friday night. Sadly, the offer showed minimal movement and our overall gap is the same as we were before. Anthem is not moving with urgency at a time when your health care requires it. We will continue to ask Anthem for fair and reasonable rates that will cover our cost inflation pressures and ensure our Colorado hospitals and clinics can continue to retain the high-quality doctors and nurses who care for you, whether in Durango, Denver, Pueblo or Fort Morgan. We will continue to provide updates as we work through the negotiation.
10 am:
CommonSpirit Health is committed to providing our patients the very latest information on our negotiations with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Colorado. It has been 43 hours since we submitted our last counteroffer to Anthem with no response. This is too long when patients need a resolution now that allows their care to continue. We believe the 40,000 patients who rely on Anthem deserve accessible, high-quality health care from their chosen doctors and nurses. This is why we’re fighting for a more responsible agreement. We will continue to provide updates on the negotiations throughout the day.
1 pm:
We understand every minute counts when your health is at risk. CommonSpirit Health sent Anthem a counteroffer more than 46 hours ago and we continue to fight for a resolution. Anthem has refused to accept a contract extension, insisting we go out of network on May 1. CommonSpirit is committed to moving quickly through these negotiations to ensure the 40,000 patients insured by Anthem can return to their in-network providers – the doctors they know and trust.
5 pm:
We want to take care of you – our friends, our neighbors, our patients. We are deeply saddened that the day is ending without a response from Anthem. We sent them a counterproposal more than 50 hours ago and still no resolution. We understand many of you want to continue to see the doctors you know and trust. You’ve built relationships with a care team that is fighting for you, which is why we will continue to fight for a fair and responsible agreement that protects you, the services we provide and the doctors and nurses who know you best.
