When the new year begins, Lawrence Memorial Hospital will no longer accept Aetna Medicare Advantage or Humana Medicare Advantage insurance from patients.
Autumn Bishop, a spokesperson for LMH, said the change will affect more than 3,000 patients.
Open enrollment for Medicare is set to run from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7, and LMH Health is notifying patients that the change will be effective Jan. 1, 2025, according to a news release. Cost-effectiveness is the primary reason for dropping Aetna and Humana, said Rob Chestnut, LMH Health chief financial officer.
“Reimbursement from insurance companies is one of the biggest challenges hospitals face, and especially so with those administering Medicare Advantage programs,” Chestnut said in the release. “Aetna and Humana have the lowest reimbursement of any of the Medicare Advantage programs we accept, paying the hospital and physicians well below the cost to provide care to patients.
“Prior authorization denials disrupt patient care and Medicare Advantage plans have the most excessive prior authorization denial rate. They often ‘delay, deny or don’t pay,’ allowing private companies to make more money.”
LMH will host a seminar, “Conversations and Comparisons,” to help folks understand the types of insurance coverage allowed. Representatives from the Douglas County Senior Resource Center and from the Kansas Hospital Association, a member of the LMH Patient Accounts team, and an LMH physician will share their experiences and answer audience questions as part of a panel discussion.
The seminar is scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 3, in the auditorium at the LMH Main Campus, 325 Maine St. It’ll be recorded and made available after the event, according to the news release.
It’s free to attend, and registration is not required. For more information, visit lmh.org.
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Maya Hodison (she/her), equity reporter, can be reached at mhodison@lawrencekstimes.com. Read more of her work for the Times here. Check out her staff bio here.
