Four-legged hero, April Sweetie, spreads joy to local cancer patients<\/a><\/p>\nFor Appomattox resident Susan Cope, that decision isn\u2019t easy.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo me that\u2019s not fair, that\u2019s not right,\u201d Cope said. \u201cIf our needs aren\u2019t met with the other plan, it\u2019s kind of too bad, you\u2019re stuck.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cope said she plans to stay with Humana because other plans don\u2019t meet her family\u2019s medical needs. The other option in Appomattox does not cover her specialists she has had for many years, but that means driving much farther for care.<\/p>\n
\u201cWell over an hour, an hour and fifteen minutes to an hour and a half away,\u201d she said, referring to hospitals in Charlottesville and South Boston that remain in Humana\u2019s network.<\/p>\n
Centra\u2019s reason for the split<\/p>\n
In a statement, Centra Health said the move comes after Humana \u201chas not met its contractual payment obligations for care provided by Centra,\u201d which the health system says threatens its ability to invest in staff and technology that protect access to care.<\/p>\n
\u201cAt Centra, caring for and caring about our patients and communities is at the heart of everything we do,\u201d the statement reads.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the best interest of those we serve, we have notified Humana Medicare Advantage of our intent not to renew our contract, effective January 1, 2026. Humana has not met its contractual payment obligations for care provided by Centra, which threatens our ability to invest in the people, services, and technology that protect access to care for our patients. Our efforts to resolve our differences and reach fair terms with Humana have not been successful.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe value patient choice and believe our community deserves access to high-quality care. We have proactively notified patients who may be impacted and provided information about their coverage options. Centra remains in-network with other Medicare Advantage plans and continues to accept traditional Medicare for those who may choose to return to Medicare and purchase a supplemental plan.\u201d<\/p>\n
Centra declined an interview.<\/p>\n
Humana\u2019s response<\/p>\n
Humana also declined an interview but provided a written statement to ABC 13, saying they\u2019re still in active discussions with Centra to try to renew the agreement.<\/p>\n
\u201cHumana remains deeply committed to supporting our members\u2019 health and well-being by ensuring they have access to high-quality, affordable care,\u201d the company said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur partnerships with healthcare providers play a vital role in delivering that care. Humana is currently in active discussions with Centra Health to renew our agreement. These conversations are focused on finding a path forward that balances affordability, care quality, and long-term sustainability for our members.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are working in good faith to reach a resolution that avoids disruption and maintains access to trusted care in Virginia. We understand that news of potential changes can be concerning. Our priority is to keep members informed and supported throughout this process.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIf an agreement is not reached by December 31, we will provide clear guidance and personalized assistance to help members continue receiving the care they need. If members have questions or need assistance, they can call Humana\u2019s toll-free customer support line found on the back of their insurance cards.\u201d<\/p>\n
Centra said their are dozens of other hospital networks across the country that are also dropping Humana. <\/p>\n
What patients can do next<\/p>\n
Brickhouse said patients who want to stick with Centra should use open enrollment, which runs through December 7, to review their coverage and find out what plans include their current doctors.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe plans are trying to manage costs. The hospitals are trying to meet their costs, and sometimes those just don\u2019t meet,\u201d Brickhouse said. <\/p>\n
She said people can switch to another Medicare Advantage plan, or move to Original Medicare, which covers 80 percent of costs, and add a supplemental plan to cover the rest.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s just important that they do the research or have someone help them do the research, to make sure their doctors are in-network and their prescriptions are covered,\u201d Brickhouse said.<\/p>\n
For anyone who misses the December 7 deadline, there\u2019s another opportunity: the Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment Period from January 1 to March 31, which allows people already in a Medicare Advantage plan to switch plans or return to Original Medicare.<\/p>\n
She recommends people talk with a local insurance broker, like her, who understands all the plans in your area. She said you can also call the Medicare Helpline or navigate through their website. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"LYNCHBURG, Va. (WSET) \u2014 Centra Health will stop accepting Humana\u2019s Medicare Advantage plans starting January 1, 2026, leaving…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":262060,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[97,252,253],"class_list":["post-262059","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-health-care","tag-health","tag-health-care","tag-healthcare"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262059","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262059"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262059\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262060"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262059"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262059"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262059"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}