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Cigna warns 23 county members could lose in-network access if LifePoint talks fail
Summary
Cigna told the Benefits and Insurance Committee that negotiations with LifePoint hospitals remain unresolved and could end Oct. 15, potentially disrupting services for 23 county health-plan members; Cigna said alternative hospitals and transition-of-care protections have been offered.
Cigna representatives told the Rutherford County Benefits and Insurance Committee on Sept. 25 that negotiations with LifePoint hospitals could end Oct. 15, which would remove those hospitals from Cigna’s in‑network provider list for plan members. Paul Huffman, a Cigna representative, said the carrier identified 23 members who used a LifePoint hospital in the last 18 months and notified those members about the possible change.
The matter matters because those members could face out‑of‑network costs or need to seek care at alternative hospitals if the agreement fails. "October 15 is the date that we have on the calendar that LifePoint hospitals would terminate if our negotiations aren't successful," Huffman said. He added the 23 affected members account for about $50,000 in total services.
Huffman said Cigna has kept negotiation channels open but that LifePoint has made demands Cigna cannot accept so far. "LifePoint has made demands that we cannot agree with, and they have not come off their position yet," Huffman said. He said that if an agreement is reached, Cigna will notify those members.
Committee members asked which hospitals are in the LifePoint group. Huffman named several: Riverview Regional; Lawrenceburg; Pulaski; Winchester Regional Medical Center (Athens); Trousdale Medical Center; and a number of small, rural facilities in southern Tennessee. He said the county provided alternative hospitals in the notification letters sent around Sept. 15, and that the letters included named alternate facilities for affected members.
Huffman also described Cigna’s continuity‑of‑care process for members undergoing recent or ongoing serious treatment: such members may be approved to continue care at an out‑of‑network hospital for a limited time under transition‑of‑care provisions.
The committee did not take formal action on the negotiation; members asked clarifying questions. The committee chair asked staff to continue tracking the negotiation and member notifications and to bring updates to the committee if the status changes.
For context, committee members discussed pharmacy‑network issues with other vendors during the meeting but did not link that discussion to the LifePoint negotiations.
The committee’s next meeting is scheduled for Oct. 30, 2025.
