Valley Health and Anthem should be brought back to the table

Valley Health just announced that it’s severing ties with Anthem BCBS effective January 1, 2021. If you live in the northern Shenandoah Valley you should be protesting to every governmental agency/person you know. This announced split is UNACCEPTABLE and puts the lives, health care, and financial well-being of residents in our region seriously at risk.

Do you really want to go to Harrisonburg, Gainesville, or even farther for your medical needs? Open season is upon us and Valley Health advises us to seek other insurance – options which potentially will cost us much more out-of-pocket, assuming there are even other options available to us!

Local, state, and federal government agencies coupled with individuals (including doctors) need to push back and demand that these two entities come to an agreement NOW.

Leaving us all high and dry should not be allowed and sets a dangerous health-care precedent for our communities. What good is a fancy new hospital in Front Royal if our insurance doesn’t cover services provided there? Shame on Valley Health and Anthem BCBS for endangering us all.

Anne Boyd Earle
Front Royal, Virginia