It’s important to us that you know why we are negotiating with Cigna. As your community hospital, we’re committed to transparency. You deserve the facts. Our current agreement with Cigna ends on December 31, 2025. If Cigna does not agree to fair, sustainable rates, it will force Chesapeake Regional Healthcare out of Cigna’s network.
Throughout the negotiation, we’re committed to giving you the information you need to understand what’s happening, how it may impact you and how you can advocate for continued access to your trusted Chesapeake Regional Healthcare doctors.
What can I do to help make sure Cigna agrees to a contract and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare stays in my insurance network?
- Call or email Cigna. Let them know how important it is for you to maintain in-network access to your community hospital. Call the number on the back of your insurance card.
- If you receive insurance through your employer, contact your Human Resources or leadership team. Let them know you deserve and expect a benefits plan that includes reliable in-network access to high-quality, local care at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare.
FAQS
Q: Why are Chesapeake Regional Healthcare and Cigna negotiating?
A: We are negotiating the terms of our current contract, which outlines how we work together and how Cigna reimburses our providers for their members’ care.
Like hospitals across the country, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is facing steeply rising costs for staff, supplies, and services. Yet Cigna continues to pay as much as 30 percent less than what it pays other health systems in Hampton Roads for the same patient care. We are not a large national system. We are your community hospital. This is not sustainable. Meanwhile, Cigna’s profits continue to grow. In just the third quarter of this year, Cigna reported $1.9 billion in profit, while offering hospitals like Chesapeake Regional Healthcare minimal increases that do not cover the rising cost of care.
Like many hospitals around the U.S. in the same challenging circumstances, we have to hold Cigna – and all insurance companies – accountable to pay fair, market-based rates. Fair payment from insurance companies is critical to maintain access to vital services patients need, like cancer care, neurology, and high-quality maternity and emergency care.
Advocating for fair payment is advocating for your health and our community’s best interest. In this negotiation, our only goal is to keep care local, sustain vital health care services, preserve competition, and ensure that families do not have to travel farther or pay more for the care they need.
Q: What's the purpose of a contract between a hospital system and an insurance company?
A: When a hospital system works with an insurance company, they become part of the insurance company’s “network.” Both parties sign a contract and agree to a set of rules that regulate how the organizations will work together. The contract includes things like the amount the insurance company will pay the health system for different services and medical procedures.
After caring for a patient, the hospital/physician bills each patient’s insurance company for services, and the insurance company decides whether to cover (pay for) those health care services. The insurance company then pays the hospital or physician based on the agreed-upon rates in the contract. The amount an insurance company pays a hospital or physician for patient care services is called a payment rate, or a reimbursement rate.
If the insurance company does not approve the patient’s health care services, the insurance company will deny the payment and state the patient should have received pre-authorization (or some other reason for denying the payment). The rules and policies outlined in the contract can have a significant impact on when, how, and if patients with those insurance plans are able to receive timely care and coverage.
There are many other details and regulations in a contract between a hospital/physician and insurance company. Reimbursement rates, denials, pre-authorizations and related policies are the most negotiated terms. Right now, Cigna is paying Chesapeake Regional Healthcare 30 percent less than other similar healthcare systems in our region. In this negotiation, we are simply asking Cigna to pay fair rates in the face of rising costs of patient care. Families in Hampton Roads need local access to the critical healthcare services our community hospital provides.
Q: What types of Cigna health insurance plans are impacted by this negotiation?
A: All Cigna insurance plans currently accepted at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare locations would be impacted if an agreement is not made by December 31, 2025.
Q: Which Chesapeake Regional Healthcare services and providers are impacted by this negotiation?
A: All providers and services across all locations would be out-of-network to Cigna patients if the insurance company does not agree to fair rates under a new contract by December 31, 2025.
Q: When does the current contract with Cigna end?
A: If Cigna does not agree to a contract by December 31, 2025, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare will be forced out-of-network, and most patients with Cigna insurance will have to pay a higher out-of-pocket cost for services or find health care elsewhere.
Q: Should I reschedule upcoming appointments or stop scheduling future appointments?
A: For now, nothing has changed. Patients should keep their current appointments and continue scheduling new appointments with their Chesapeake Regional Healthcare doctors and hospitals. If an agreement is not reached, we encourage you to contact Cigna before attending or scheduling any appointments after December 31, 2025, to learn how your out-of-pocket costs and coverage will change if Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is no longer in network with Cigna.
Q: When will the negotiation be resolved?
A: Our goal is to resolve the negotiation as quickly as possible. We hope Cigna will share our sense of urgency and collaborate for a timely resolution. A new contract must be established by December 31, 2025, or Chesapeake Regional Healthcare will be forced out of Cigna’s network.
Q: What happens if Cigna will not agree to a fair contract, and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is forced out of my insurance network?
A: If Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is forced out-of-network, most patients will have to pay more out-of-pocket to continue seeing their Chesapeake Regional doctors and caregivers. Alternatively, patients may choose to avoid higher out-of-pocket costs by finding a new doctor that is in network with Cigna.
We understand it’s unfair to have to choose between paying more for health care to see the doctors you trust or facing the challenge of looking for a new provider, especially when health care systems have limited access and patients must navigate long wait times for appointments.
Call Cigna at the number on the back of your insurance card to express your concern and advocate to keep Chesapeake Regional Healthcare in network. We also encourage you to learn what your out-of-network benefits are and consider exploring new insurance plans that include Chesapeake Regional Healthcare during open enrollment. Ask your HR team what other plans are available that include your Chesapeake Regional Healthcare doctors.
Q: What can I do to help make sure Cigna agrees to a contract and Chesapeake Regional Healthcare stays in my insurance network?
A: Call or email Cigna. Let them know how important it is for you to maintain in-network access to your community hospital. Call the number on the back of your insurance card.
If you receive insurance through your employer, contact your Human Resources or leadership team. Let them know you deserve and expect a benefits plan that includes reliable in-network access to high-quality, local care at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare.
Q: What if I have a medical emergency on or after December 31, 2025?
A: Regardless of network status, you will always have access to emergency care at Chesapeake Regional Healthcare. If you or a loved one are experiencing a medical emergency, please go to the location nearest you.
Q: What if I’m pregnant or receiving complex treatment or critical care for a chronic illness that requires care on or after December 31, 2025?
A: The possibility of losing in-network coverage for your care is always concerning, particularly for those with ongoing and serious care needs. Cigna is legally required to allow some patients to continue seeing their current Chesapeake Regional Healthcare doctors at in-network rates for a certain period, even if an agreement is not made by December 31. Patients will be encouraged to apply for Continuity of Care through Cigna. Cigna will review applications and determine eligibility on a case-by-case basis. Patients will need to reach out directly to Cigna to learn about continuity care options.
Q: Why is it important to have Chesapeake Regional Healthcare in my insurance network?
A: For nearly 50 years, Chesapeake Regional Healthcare has proudly served this community as an independent, not-for-profit health system. With over 50 care locations and 600 dedicated providers, we’re here for you, offering nationally recognized quality and the compassionate, personal care that only a community hospital can provide. We deliver more than 3,000 babies each year, lead the region in heart attack survival, and provide advanced care in cancer, neurology, and emergency medicine. As your community hospital, we listen. We take time to understand what families in our community need to make sure you have the services that matter most today, and tomorrow.
Q: Who can I contact with questions?
A: We encourage you to call Cigna at the number on the back of your insurance card. Cigna can help you understand what the impact will be on you and your family based on your specific benefits plan if Chesapeake Regional Healthcare is forced out of network.