Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Hampshire's decision to drop 10 hospitals from its network has led to serious questions from the New Hampshire legislature on quality of and access to care, especially where it concerns women's health, according to a report from the Nashua Telegraph.
Members of the New Hampshire legislature voiced concerns over access to care for low-income women late last week in a hearing with Anthem New Hampshire CEO Lisa Guertin. Legislators expressed disappointment that some selected hospitals do not offer full women's health coverage, which could become problematic for low-income women with limited access to transportation.
This was particularly relevant in the discussion of Nashua-based St. Joseph Hospital, which does not offer full women's services, including abortion referral or contraception, and Nashua-based Southern New Hampshire Medical Center, which does offer the services but has been dropped from Anthem's network.
Anthem countered the concerns by insisting that 90 percent of New Hampshire's residents live within 20 miles of a hospital in the company's network, which is an improvement in coverage for most Anthem customers, according to the report.
Anthem dropped the 10 hospitals in an effort to reduce the cost of its health insurance plans in New Hampshire's insurance exchange. The remaining 16 hospitals will accept lower reimbursements but will expect higher patient volumes, according to a report from the Concord Monitor.
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