Syracuse, NY -- Central New York’s largest urgent care network is still planning to drop coverage for Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield members at the end of the day Sunday.
That means that Excellus members who seek service at a WellNow location starting at midnight Monday, Jan. 1, will have to pay full price for service. That starts at $165 and goes up, depending on the care provided.
The two sides have been negotiating for months over a new contract that would allow Excellus members to continue to access WellNow care for a small co-pay.
If no agreement is reached before the New Year, Excellus customers will be forced to pay the higher rates, go to an emergency room, wait for an appointment with their primary care doctor or seek an urgent care farther from home.
Both sides told syracuse.com | The Post-Standard Thursday morning that their 11th hour discussions have not produced any breakthroughs yet.
Excellus, the area’s largest health insurer, covered roughly 90,000 visits to WellNow centers in Onondaga County last year, according to WellNow. Statewide, that number was 300,000 visits across 31 counties.
WellNow has seven open urgent care locations in Onondaga County and four in the surrounding counties.
Tom Dennison, a retired Syracuse University professor and health care expert, said that WellNow serves as an important safety net for people who need care right away, but aren’t experiencing a life-threatening emergency.
Alternatives for similar urgent care in Onondaga County are scarce. Excellus’s own list for alternatives in Onondaga County includes only five locations.
Of those, only one is a general urgent care. It’s called Quick Care, located at Syracuse Community Health downtown, at 819 S. Salina St. There are no overnight or Sunday hours. The other options are specialized urgent cares, two for children and two for orthopedics.
There are more urgent care options in surrounding counties.
WellNow has for months blamed the contract impasse on Excellus for not paying high enough rates. The Illinois-based company argues that urgent care occupies a unique position between primary care and the emergency room.
Rochester-based Excellus maintains that it’s rates are comparable to those it pays to a primary care provider for the same service.
Staff writer Douglass Dowty can be reached at ddowty@syracuse.com or (315) 470-6070.