Anthem Blue Cross members regain their connection to the Aspire HMO after agreement is reached.

Approximately 2,600 people carrying Anthem Blue Cross HMO insurance in Monterey County have regained connection to local health care providers, a little over a month since they were forced to seek care outside of the county.

A few months ago Anthem told those HMO members that it was discontinuing its relationship with Aspire Health Plan effective March 1, which was administering the insurance. The members were reassigned to primary care providers in Santa Cruz and Santa Clara counties.

On Thursday, April 3, Aspire Health announced that it had reached an agreement with Anthem to restore provider access for the 2,600 members in Monterey County. The agreement is retroactive to March 1, according to a press release.

"This agreement reflects our dedication to local patients and their access to essential healthcare services," said Tyler Munson, CEO of Aspire Health, in the release. "We recognize the disruption this situation placed on affected members and worked diligently to restore their ability to see local providers."

No details were provided about what the agreement entails. 

One member says they had spent the last month trying to secure continuity of care but got no where. They spent hours on the phone asking for authorizations for treatment, with no success. (Continuity of care allows for remaining with existing providers for a pre-existing condition, which means the patient would not have to seek treatment elsewhere as they are being treated.)

Other members told the Weekly in February that they would have to drive an hour or more to see their new physicians in Gilroy. They expressed frustration that they had only renewed or selected the HMO plan last fall, only to find out shortly after it went into effect that they would lose their local providers.

The new agreement ensures they can remain with providers in Monterey County.