North Carolina resident Patric Pederson is more concerned for his 11-month-old son Stanley’s health than he is his own.
Pederson is one of more than 65,000 UNC Health patients left in limbo after the system's contract expired earlier this week with Cigna.
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“[It’s] an incredible amount of stress,” Pederson said.
Cigna members who use UNC Health systems will need to find a new provider, or pay much higher, out-of-network prices, or choose to pay out of pocket entirely. There were more than 4,000 people with Cigna health insurance who had December appointments with UNC Health.
In the first year of his life, UNC Health doctors helped Stanley Pederson survive bacterial meningitis and respiratory syncytial virus [RSV].
“He had a couple of strokes and things like that,” Pederson said of his son’s medical complications. “We’re really lucky that he survived, actually.”
Pederson said he hopes his son doesn’t face further medical complications as the two sides say they are continuing negotiations.
“We’re basically coasting through the rest of this year,” Pederson said.
Stanley Pederson could qualify for what’s called continuity of care because of his condition. Continuity of care allows in-network coverage for specified conditions when a provider’s contract ends.
Patric Pederson said Cigna is making him fill out forms for every doctor his son sees. He said it makes it difficult for him to feel confident the right medical personnel will be there when his son needs them.
The Pederson family is not alone.
North Carolina resident Zack Roscoe said he needed to get a physical. He said he has the luxury of waiting out the negotiation.
“That's the most concerning part of it, right?” Roscoe said. “We live in the richest country in the world, and you have two companies trying to negotiate and figure out something, and all of a sudden it just impacts the people.”
Gov. Josh Stein says state could step in with UNC Health-Cigna negotiations if they get ‘really grave’
The unresolved dispute between UNC Health and Cigna has gotten the attention of Gov. Josh Stein.
“It’s the way the system works," Stein said.
Stein briefly spoke on Wednesday about the ongoing dispute between the two private companies. He mentioned the potential for state involvement.
“I can imagine a scenario where the consequences [are] really grave and impacts a large number of people where the state would need to step in or urge … to knock heads, but these are private parties that need to do what they need to do,” Stein said.
UNC Health, Cigna release statements about ongoing negotiations
On Tuesday, UNC Health provided a statement about its ongoing negotiations with Cigna.
"Despite trying to negotiate in good faith with Cigna for months, UNC Health has been unable to reach a new and fair agreement," UNC Health's statement reads in part. "That means we are out of network for now. Unfortunately, that will lead to higher costs for some patients."
Cigna released a statement on Monday saying that it has offered to extend the current contract with UNC.
"Our goal is to keep UNC Health in network, and we have offered to extend our current contract,” Cigna’s statement reads. “We remain engaged in discussions with a goal of reaching a fair agreement for our customers and their families.”
