A letter to our community
Our No. 1 Concern: Maintaining your access to essential care
June 10, 2025
By Merrin Permut, Vice President & Chief Population Health Officer
Access to quality health care close to home is essential for all of us, and it is critical for patients with specific health needs who must continue seeing the doctors, nurses and medical assistants who understand their needs.
Talks continue without agreement
We know and regret that this contract negotiation with Cigna may cause anxiety and confusion. Legacy Health continues to be in regular conversations with Cigna to reach a positive outcome so that no Cigna member experiences a gap in care.
However, if Cigna does not agree to a fair, equitable payment increase by June 30, Legacy doctors, hospitals and clinics will no longer be in-network for most Cigna members.
Being out-of-network means that you may have to pay more money out of pocket for services at Legacy.
As a reminder, if you receive care at a Legacy hospital or clinic in the Silverton area or have a Cigna Medicare Advantage plan, you can continue to see your Legacy providers and access services as usual. Please review our Patient FAQ to learn more.
What this could mean for you
If our contract with Cigna ends after June 30, we’re concerned about how it may affect your care:
- Disrupting your relationship with your doctor: If you’re forced to find a new doctor, you will lose the benefit of working with your Legacy care team who knows your history and understands your health needs.
- Delays in getting care: The unfortunate reality is that patients don’t have enough access to doctors and nurses. That’s true in many parts of the country and it’s especially true in our communities. Patients often face long wait times to see a new primary care doctor, and we’ve already heard that other local providers may not have room to take more Cigna patients at this time.
- Traveling farther to receive care: As a community hospital system, Legacy offers quality care close to home through our six hospitals and more than 80 clinics offering primary care, specialty care and Legacy-GoHealth Urgent Care centers. For some medical needs, such as in-patient rehab care, certain pediatric specialties and the Oregon Burn Center, we’re the only provider in the region. Cigna members may have to travel farther for care if our contract ends.
Continuity of care may be available
Certain patients, such as those receiving cancer treatment, inpatient care or pregnancy-related care, may get exceptions from Cigna that allows them to continue receiving care from their Legacy doctors with in-network insurance coverage. This is known as Continuity of Care. However, it’s important to know that this is a short-term solution and requires approval from Cigna and will only extend services for a specific period of time.
To learn more, call Cigna at the number on the back of your member ID card. You can also find more information and access Cigna’s continuity of care application form here.
We need a fair, equitable contract with Cigna to ensure access
To ensure that you and your family have access to the care you need with your trusted health partner, we urge Cigna to agree to a fair and reasonable increase in our reimbursement that matches the actual cost of care.
We need your help to achieve this. Here’s how:
- Contact Cigna using the phone number on the back of your member ID card and ask them to support Legacy’s request for a fair and reasonable payment increase.
- Tell Cigna how important Legacy is to you and your family and urge them to reach an agreement before June 30, 2025.
- Share your feedback and concerns with your employer. Employers often have influence over health plan choices.
At Legacy, good health for all is our mission and we’re deeply concerned about how preventive services, chronic disease management and life-saving patient care could be delayed or missed if our contract with Cigna ends.
We are committed to finding a solution that puts patients and communities first, and we will remain at the table with Cigna to ensure fair and equitable reimbursement.
Thank you for trusting us with your care.