OSF HealthCare said it is terminating its contract with Meridian later this month due to "millions of dollars of outstanding claims" unpaid over the past five years.
Meridian manages about 801,000 Illinois Medicaid plans and another 80,000 Medicare Advantage and Prescription Drug Program plans.
OSF notified patients last week it would no longer accept Meridian plans as of Dec. 15.
“We are unfortunately at a standstill with Meridian because for years they have failed to honor the most basic components of our agreement and will not come forward to resolve outstanding accounts,” said Randy Billings, OSF HealthCare senior vice president of population health in a statement. “We are concerned for Meridian members, which is why we contacted the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services and Meridian members to make them aware of the situation.”
A Meridian spokesperson said Monday they are still hopeful they can reach a contract with OSF before the deadline. They resent the same statement when asked Tuesday about OSF's claims of outstanding payments without confirming or denying it.
Both organizations said they will work together to transition patients if they are unable to come to an agreement.
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