All Anthem members can continue to see their Sentara providers and use Sentara facilities in-network through at least December 31, 2026. Nothing changes with your care right now.
After nearly a year of negotiations, Anthem has failed to accept a fair, sustainable agreement that would keep Sentara providers in-network for Anthem’s Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and ACA Exchange members after 2026. As such, Sentara ceased negotiations for these plans and is preparing for affected members to transition to out-of-network status beginning in 2027.
Sentara is still negotiating for commercial (employer-sponsored) plans and continues to work toward a fair agreement that keeps these patients in-network and preserves their choice of provider.
While we are disappointed that we could not reach agreement with Anthem on Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Exchange plans, Sentara is in active negotiations with additional payors and has begun the process of supporting affected Anthem members in understanding their coverage options.
What this means for you today
- Nothing changes with your care today. If you're an Anthem member, you can continue to see your Sentara doctors, specialists, and care teams, and use Sentara hospitals and facilities as in-network through at least December 31, 2026.
- Effective January 1, 2027, Medicare Advantage and ACA Exchange members will transition to out-of-network status. Medicaid members will transition to out-of-network status effective January 28, 2027.
- Continuity-of-care protections apply. Patients who qualify, including those in active cancer treatment or obstetrics care, will retain in-network access further into 2027. Sentara will support affected patients in navigating Anthem’s continuity-of-care process as much as possible.
- As open enrollment season approaches, patients are encouraged to find a health plan that allows them to keep seeing their Sentara doctors and care teams in-network.
- Upcoming open enrollment dates are:
- Medicare Advantage: October 15 - December 7, 2026
- Exchange: November 1, 2026 - January 15, 2027
- Medicaid (Charlottesville/Western Halifax): August 19 – October 31, 2026
- Medicaid (SW Virginia): December 19, 2026 - February 28, 2027
- Commercial (employer-sponsored) plans are currently unaffected by this change. Sentara continues to negotiate in good faith on these plans and remains committed to reaching a fair agreement that keeps patients in-network.
Sentara has partnered with Chapter, a licensed Medicare advisory service that can help patients compare available Medicare Advantage plans, clarify eligibility and enrollment rules, and guide patients through choosing the right coverage. It is free of charge for those qualified for Medicare Advantage. Patients can visit askchapter.org/sentara or call 1-855-531-2355.
What’s at stake in 2027
If Anthem continues to refuse a fair agreement, all Anthem members are at risk of losing in-network access to Sentara as their respective coverage transitions take effect in 2027. This will mean higher out-of-pocket costs, disrupted care relationships, and fewer choices for thousands of Anthem members in Virginia who count on Sentara.
When payors like Anthem refuse to pay reimbursement rates that support the delivery of care for Virginians, it forces care systems like Sentara to do more with less. Patients delay appointments. Conditions go unmanaged. People end up in emergency rooms with problems that earlier care could have caught — at far greater cost to everyone.
List of plan termination dates
Our promise to you
As a mission-driven, not-for-profit health system, Sentara is focused on providing top quality and innovative care to the communities we serve. Every day, we exceed national standards and benchmarks for delivering excellent, patient-centered care.
We will continue negotiating in good faith, keep patients informed, and provide updates as this process continues.
Sentara’s commitment
Our patients deserve access to the best care. That’s exactly what Sentara delivers. As a leading not-for-profit healthcare system in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeast, Sentara serves nearly 380,000 Anthem members across Virginia through nationally recognized hospitals, programs, physicians, and care teams.
Since 2020, we have invested nearly $1.8 billion into community benefits and more than $400 million to expand our care sites and services. As a non-profit healthcare system, every dollar we earn is reinvested into our mission to improve health every day, not shareholder returns.
We are invested in patients, in their care, and in Virginia’s future.
By the numbers
- $20.7 billion – Sentara’s Annual Economic Impact in Virginia.
- 100,000 – Jobs Supported across the Commonwealth.
- $1.8 billion – Invested in Community Benefit Since 2020, including uncompensated care, health and prevention programs, training for healthcare professionals, and community giving.
- $400 million – Invested in New Facilities and Expanded Services, Keeping Care Close to Home for Virginia Families.
- $350 million – Committed over the next decade to the Macon & Joan Brock Virginia Health Sciences at Old Dominion University, helping expand physician training and build Virginia's healthcare workforce.
Sentara is not just a healthcare provider – we're part of the communities we serve.
The Anthem Playbook
Anthem is a $200 billion for profit corporation that wants to pay non-profit hospitals less for patient care so they can make a greater profit.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield is owned by Elevance Health, one of the largest and most profitable corporations in the United States. In 2025, Elevance reported $197.6 billion in total operating revenue and $5.7 billion in net profit.
At the same time, they do not want to support quality care for patients.
As Anthem tells Virginia’s hospitals they cost too much, it’s giving billions of dollars back to its own shareholders.
Anthem's parent company closed 2025 with $6.7 billion authorized by its Board of Directors to exclusively buy back its own stock and boost value for investors. In just the first three months of 2026, it spent approximately $1.1 billion doing that.
That’s a direct transfer of money to shareholders, and it’s not making healthcare more affordable.
Sentara already delivers lower-cost care to Exchange members, Medicare Advantage seniors, and Medicaid patients, while absorbing costs Anthem doesn’t pay at all.
The people who would be hurt most are the ones with the least room to absorb it: seniors, people with disabilities, and lower-income Virginia families who rely on Medicaid and Medicare Advantage.
Cutting hospital payments forces care systems to do more with less. Patients delay appointments. Conditions go unmanaged. People end up in emergency rooms with problems that earlier care could have caught — at far greater cost to everyone.
News and updates
Anthem’s profits over patients strategy isn’t happening in a vacuum. Here is coverage of how Anthem operates across the country and what this fight means for Virginia.
We're Not Going to Be Bullied’: Sentara Digs in on Anthem Contract Fight
MedCity NewsHow Health Insurance Coverage Denials Affect Americans
The Commonwealth Fund‘A flagrant attempt to increase their profits’: California Hospital Association sues Anthem over out-of-network penalty policy
Becker'sGreene County General goes after Anthem for payment failures
Washington Times HeraldElevance posts $5.7B profit in 2025
Becker'sMedical Groups Outraged by Anthem Payment Policy Change
MedPage Today