After eight months of discussions, Anthem refuses to negotiate a fair agreement with Sentara that supports the delivery of care to Virginians. As a result, Sentara has formally notified Anthem of its intention to allow the current agreement for Sentara to provide services to Anthem members for some services to expire as early as December 31, 2026. This is a formal step required under our agreement, not the outcome we want. We remain committed to reaching a fair agreement with Anthem.
What this means for you today
- Nothing changes today. If you're an Anthem member, your care continues exactly as it does today.
- You can continue to see your Sentara doctors, specialists, and care teams, and use Sentara hospitals and facilities as in-network.
- Anthem members remain in-network at Sentara through at least December 31, 2026. Specifically, certain commercial and Medicare agreements will expire on December 31, 2026, and Medicaid agreements will expire in early 2027, if a new agreement cannot be reached.
- Keep your appointments and see your providers as usual.
- We intend to keep it that way.
Anthem must come to the table and negotiate in good faith.
What’s at stake in 2027
If Anthem continues to refuse a fair agreement, Anthem members could lose in-network access to Sentara starting January 1, 2027. This will mean higher out-of-pocket costs, disrupted care relationships, and fewer choices for nearly 380,000 Anthem members in Virginia who count on Sentara.
We are doing everything we can to make sure that doesn’t happen. We are calling on Anthem to negotiate in good faith and put patients first before their profits.
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.
Maine insurers request ACA rate hikes for 2027
Portland Press HeraldHow 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