Bon Secours, Optima Health reach agreement Bon Secours and Optima Health break standstill, reach contract agreement

Health system Bon Secours and Optima Health have released statements saying that the two parties have reached an agreement that will keep the insurer's customers in network at Bon Secours facilities.

Negotiations over a new contract stalled this month with Optima saying that the health system was raising its prices to an unreasonable level while Bon Secours said the rising cost of treating patients necessitated those rate increases.

The two parties had until March 1 to agree to a fresh set of terms before the <a href="https://roanoke.com/business/optima-health-signs-deal-with-hca-virginia/article_c7ecca65-ec27-5e73-91a9-c8bfc212ea95.html" target="_blank">55,000 Optima customers living in Virginia lost</a> in-network coverage at Bon Secours hospitals in Virginia. The new agreement will run from March 1 through Feb. 28, 2026.

Bon Secours said in a statement that it advocated for fair market rates that could ensure its patients can get access to quality care.

"At Bon Secours, our goal is to have long-term agreements with all major payors, including Optima Health, so our patients can have easy access to quality care in our community," Bon Secours said in the statement. "That is why we diligently worked to resolve this situation for the good of this community, and we thank the community for their patience throughout this process."

Asked whether the new agreement could affect medical costs at the hospital, a Bon Secours spokesperson said the hospital system encourages patients to call the number on their health insurance ID card to understand the details of their coverage.

A spokesperson for Optima replied to a media request saying that the company was unable to comment on the terms of the new contract.

"Optima Health strives to be a trusted partner with the individuals and communities we serve. As a Virginia-based, not-for-profit health plan, our goal is to deliver access to quality care, while keeping costs down for our members," Optima said in a statement. "We believe our new agreement with Bon Secours Mercy Health achieves this goal."

<a href="https://richmond.com/news/virginia/cost-of-most-individual-market-plans-in-virginia-set-to-jump-by-double-digit-percentages/article_22e70995-f1fd-5773-8906-5d0c60d35441.html" target="_blank">About two-thirds of those patients that would have been affected are Medicaid recipients.</a> Those patients would had to use other hospitals had an agreement not been reached.

The contract with Optima has been in place since 2004 and was last amended two years ago.

<strong>Sean Jones</strong> (804) [email protected]: @SeanJones_RTDRTD reporter Eric Kolenich contributed to this report.