Legacy Health patients insured by Regence Blue Cross Blue Shield may lose coverage as the contract between the two is set to expire, potentially leaving thousands uninsured. Negotiations have been ongoing since November, with Legacy seeking increased reimbursement to accommodate rising costs, while Regence claims to have offered increases meeting many of Legacy's requests. If no agreement is reached, patients will have to pay out of pocket or seek alternative healthcare options, affecting around 100,000 Regence patients.
Legacy Health and Regence are currently at a standstill in negotiations over insurance coverage, with no further meetings scheduled. If no agreement is reached by Sunday, patients with appointments at Legacy Health facilities may face out-of-pocket costs. Regence has stated that Legacy's reimbursement demands are unrealistic and too high, while Legacy emphasizes the impact on patients. Both parties are working to find a resolution to ensure affordable access to care for members.
Legacy Health is at risk of not reaching a new contract agreement with Regence BlueCross BlueShield of Oregon, potentially leading to higher healthcare costs for 200,000 customers if the contract expires at the end of Sunday.
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) plans to merge with Legacy Health, creating a hospital conglomerate that would become the largest employer in the Portland region, employing over 32,000 people and operating across more than 100 locations, including 10 hospitals. The merger would result in Legacy Health being absorbed by OHSU.
Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) and Legacy Health, two major healthcare systems in the Portland region, have signed a non-binding letter of intent to merge. The merger will involve Legacy's hospitals and care centers becoming part of OHSU, a state-run hospital system and medical school. The move aims to improve and expand access to healthcare and preventative medicine, but the specific impacts on patients and providers are yet to be determined. The merger is expected to create the largest single employer in the Portland region, employing over 32,000 people across more than 100 locations, including 10 hospitals. The financial details of the merger have not been disclosed, and a definitive agreement is expected in the coming months, with the merger projected to close in 2024, pending regulatory review.
Legacy Health will close the maternity department at Mount Hood Medical Center despite warnings from state regulators that the closure would violate the terms of the Gresham hospital’s operating license. The hospital chain says it doesn’t have the staff to keep the Mount Hood birth center open and would divert patients in labor to its Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland or other hospitals in the region. The plan to close the birth center has drawn fierce criticism from elected officials, including the Multnomah County commissioners and Oregon lawmakers representing districts in the eastern part of the county served by the hospital.
