Aetna notified 45,000 policyholders this month they will have to pay more for care at RWJBarnabas if negotiations between the payer and provider dissolve. A two-year contract between Aetna and RWJBarnabas is set to expire April 22.
Aetna spokesperson Walter Cherniak Jr. told NJ.com RWJBarnabas seeks “significant rate increases we do not believe can be supported in the market,” but Aetna “continue[s] to hope we can find a place where we can agree.”
RWJBarnabas, comprised of 11 acute care hospitals, said Aetna’s notification was a “routine” communication payers send 30 days before a contract’s expiration.
“RWJBarnabas Health and Aetna continue to negotiate with the desire to create a new contractual agreement,” RWJBarnabas spokesperson Ellen Greene said in a statement to NJ.com. “It is our goal and expectation that a new agreement will be reached with Aetna before our current contract expires on April 22. Aetna patients can still receive services at all RWJBarnabas Health facilities as contract negotiations continue.”
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