Anthem Medicaid members in Charlottesville and Western Halifax have until Saturday, October 31 to switch health plans if they want to keep Sentara doctors in network. Sentara Health ended contract talks with Anthem after Anthem did not accept its proposal by an October 1 deadline. Anthem’s Medicaid plans are expected to go out of network with Sentara on January 28, 2027.
Why did Sentara and Anthem split?
Sentara’s October 5 announcement says the talks ended for Anthem’s Medicare Advantage, Medicaid and ACA Exchange plans, while Anthem’s commercial employer plans are still in negotiation. Aubrey L. Layne Jr., Sentara’s executive vice president and chief administrative officer, said the health system “can no longer absorb their underpayments.”
Sentara says it remains in network for Anthem members through at least December 31, 2026. Medicare Advantage and Exchange plans are expected to go out of network on January 1, 2027, and Medicaid plans on January 28, 2027. Patients in active cancer treatment or obstetrics care may keep in-network access further into 2027, Sentara says.
Who has to act by October 31?
The October 31 date belongs to Medicaid members in the Charlottesville and Western Halifax region, whose enrollment window Sentara lists as August 19 to October 31, 2026. A member who wants to keep Sentara doctors needs to move to a Medicaid health plan that includes them before the window closes. Sentara posts updates at sentara.com/KeepSentara, and Cover Virginia is the state’s Medicaid site for questions about changing plans…