The New Hampshire Insurance Department is denying a complaint filed by Frisbie Memorial Hospital over its exclusion from Anthem’s provider network for individual policies.
Rochester-based Frisbie is one of 10 hospitals left out of Anthem’s so-called narrow network plans for individuals under the Affordable Care Act.
CEO Al Felgar complained his hospital didn’t have an opportunity to negotiate with Anthem over a spot in the network, and that the exclusion will hurt revenue and leave it at a competitive disadvantage.
The Insurance Department, though, is rejecting Frisbie’s request for a formal hearing. It says it doesn’t regulate competition, and has no ability to order Anthem to contract with any particular doctor or hospital.
Felgar says the fight isn’t over.
“It is definitely an uphill battle. We were hoping for a different outcome. But, you know, you take it a day at a time here and I feel like we are definitely making progress on this subject.”
The narrow network satisfies current state regulations, but the Department says it will hold a public hearing on those standards sometime in 2014.
