Montage Health and Anthem reach agreement over CHOMP coverage.

Thousands of Anthem Blue Cross members worried about losing in-network access to Community Hospital of the Monterey Peninsula starting Feb. 1 can relax: Montage Health, parent company of CHOMP, and Anthem have reached an agreement, the two sides announced Monday, Jan. 26.

The agreement applies to Anthem members enrolled in health maintenance organization (HMO), exclusive provider organization (EPO) and preferred provider organization (PPO) health plans and ensures continued in-network access to CHOMP and all Montage Health services.

Specific details of the agreement were not provided. The announcement described it as a collaborative effort between the insurance company and health care system to strengthen access to health care services and improve affordability, as well as slow the growth of health care costs while providing high-quality care.

"This agreement reflects Anthem and Montage's unified approach to improving affordability while meeting the health care needs of local families and employers in Monterey County," said Beth Anderson, president of Anthem Blue Cross. "We look forward to strengthening our partnership and working together on solutions to address the region's most pressing health care challenges."

Alicia Maitland, Montage Health's chief financial officer, expressed gratitude for reaching an agreement without interruption to access. "It reinforces the trust our patients place in us and helps ensure we can continue providing the reliable, high-quality care they deserve," she said.

Anthem Blue Cross announced on Dec. 22 that members would lose network access to CHOMP by Feb. 1, unless an agreement could be reached. An Anthem spokesperson tied the move to a statewide initiative by the California Office of Health Care Affordability to lower hospital costs.

That initiative has already imposed a spending growth cap on all hospitals of no more than 3.5 percent in 2026, as well as a lower cap on CHOMP and six other hospitals determined to be "high cost outliers" of no more than 1.8 percent.