VCU Health goes out of network with three kinds of Anthem Medicare Advantage plan on January 1, 2027: the HMO-POS, the PPO and the chronic-condition special needs plan. Anthem’s dual special needs plan is the exception and stays in, along with Anthem’s Medicare Supplement policies that sit on top of Original Medicare. After the switch, VCU Health says, a patient on an affected plan must prepay half of the estimated cost of an appointment, and a visit can be cancelled if the money does not arrive.
The change reaches every part of the system. VCU Health says all of its locations and providers are affected, including VCU Medical Center, Community Memorial Hospital and Tappahannock Hospital, along with doctors’ offices, clinics, labs, therapy services and behavioral health providers. Anthem’s commercial, Medicaid and Health Insurance Exchange plans are not touched, and neither is Traditional Medicare paired with an Anthem Medicare Supplement policy…