Sanford to end contract with Humana Medicare Advantage
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Aug. 30, 2024 |
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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. —Sanford Health will end participation with Humana Medicare Advantage on Dec. 31 due to ongoing challenges and concerns that negatively affect patients including ongoing denials of coverage and delays accessing care.
Sanford Health has notified patients with Humana Medicare Advantage coverage about this change and encouraged them to consider other plan options. Patients can select a new plan during the Medicare Open Enrollment Period, which runs from Oct. 15 through Dec. 7. New plan information for 2025 will be available Oct. 1.
“This is a difficult decision, but ending our partnership with Humana Medicare Advantage is the right thing to do for our patients,” said Martha Leclerc, vice president of corporate contracting for Sanford Health. “We have attempted to work with Humana for several years, but unfortunately, we have continued to experience delays in patient care, barriers to scheduling and denials of coverage causing financial burden and undue stress to our patients.”
This termination does not include any Good Samaritan Society locations at this time. They will continue to be in-network for patients with Humana coverage.
Sanford Health will provide care to all patients, regardless of insurance. Humana-insured patients who choose to stay with their current plan after Jan. 1, 2025, can still receive care at Sanford. However, Sanford Health will be considered out-of-network which will increase out-of-pocket costs for these patients in 2025.
Sanford Health will be in Humana Medicare Advantage’s network through Dec. 31. If a patient has a procedure or appointment in 2025, it will be important for the patient to check their 2025 Medicare plan coverage network to make sure their Sanford provider, surgery center or hospital is included. If patients aren’t sure, they should ask the insurance company before enrolling.
About Sanford Health
Sanford Health, the largest rural health system in the United States, is dedicated to transforming the health care experience and providing access to world-class health care in America’s heartland. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, the organization serves 1.4 million patients and nearly 200,000 health plan members across 250,000 square miles. The integrated health system has 45 hospitals, 211 clinic locations, more than 160 Good Samaritan Society senior living centers, 2,900 Sanford physicians and advanced practice providers, 540 active clinical trials, and nine world clinic locations around the globe. Learn more about Sanford Health’s commitment to shaping the future of rural health care across the lifespan at sanfordhealth.org or Sanford Health News.
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