Updated Thursday, January 2, 2025:
We’re pleased to announce that Aetna® and Saint Agnes/Fresno Surgical Center (Trinity Health) have reached an agreement on their contract renewal. If you are enrolled in one of Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® PPO Plan A or B plans or Medicare Advantage PPO plans, your network status remains unchanged as part of this agreement.
If you have any additional questions or encounter any issues, please contact the FUSD Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520.
Updated Monday, December 30, 2024:
The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the
negotiations between Aetna® and Saint Agnes and Fresno Surgical Center (Trinity Health).
Conversations are still fluid, and both parties are working diligently to reach a new
agreement.
In the event an agreement is not reached by January 1, 2025, and you are receiving an active
course of treatment that may go past that date, you should call the member
service/customer service number on your ID card to get a Transition of Care request form for
your doctor to fill out. Transition of Care (TOC) coverage can apply when your doctor or facility
leaves the plan’s network or changes network status, or if certain laws or regulations require
coverage. Approved TOC coverage allows a member who is receiving treatment to continue
the treatment for a limited time at the highest plan benefits level.
Aetna® has posted answers to frequently asked questions pertaining to the Aetna® and
Saint Agnes (Trinity Health) contract negotiations. It includes examples of active course(s) of
treatment that may qualify for TOC (e.g., pregnancy, chemotherapy, surgery). Please click here to view their full Q&A along with their list of active course of treatment examples. For
those in the middle of care, we encourage you to review the Q&A TOC responses and call the
Member Services number on your ID card as mentioned above, where applicable.
JHMB will continue updating the Health Connect website as negotiations continue,
however, you can also find negotiation updates on the Aetna® website at Aetna - Trinity Health.
If you have any additional questions or encounter any issues, please contact the FUSD
Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520.
Updated Monday, December 2, 2024:
If you are enrolled in Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® Medicare Advantage PPO plan and have received services at Fresno Surgical Center within the last year, you may have received a letter from Aetna®. These letters are a requirement by CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) during the process of negotiations between Aetna® and Trinity Health (Saint Agnes).
Conversations are fluid, and both parties continue to operate in good faith. The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the negotiations, and we are committed to ensuring that our members remain well-informed.
There should not be any interruptions or changes to your coverage at this time as a result of these negotiations. However, if you do experience problems, please contact the District Benefits Office, (559) 457-3520, so we can inform Aetna accordingly.
Updated Wednesday, November 13, 2024:
If you are enrolled in Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® Medicare Advantage PPO plan and have received care from a Saint Agnes Medical Center primary care physician within the last year, you may have received a letter from Aetna®. These letters are a requirement by CMS (Center for Medicare & Medicaid Services) during the process of negotiations between Aetna® and Trinity Health (Saint Agnes).
Conversations are fluid, and both parties continue to operate in good faith. The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the negotiations, and we are committed to ensuring that our members remain well-informed.
There should not be any interruptions or changes to your coverage at this time as a result of these negotiations. However, if you do experience problems, please contact the District Benefits Office, (559) 457-3520, so we can inform Aetna accordingly.
Updated Thursday, October 31, 2024:
If you are enrolled in one of Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® plans, you may have received a letter from Saint Agnes Medical Center regarding the negotiations with Aetna®. There are no interruptions or changes to your coverage at this time as a result of these negotiations. The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to closely monitor the negotiations, and we will keep you informed on any changes in coverage.
Updated Monday, September 30, 2024:
We’re pleased to announce that Aetna® and Community Medical Centers and Community Health Partners have reached an agreement on their contract renewal. If you are enrolled in one of Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® PPO Plan A or B plans, or Medicare Advantage PPO plans, your in-network access will remain unchanged as part of this agreement.
Updated Tuesday, September 24, 2024:
The official contract between Aetna® and Community Medical Centers has been extended to Friday, September 27, 2024. Conversations are fluid and both parties are still operating in good faith, but the Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the negotiations, and we are committed to ensuring that our members are taken care of.
While conversations continue, you shouldn’t experience any changes to your currently scheduled appointments and procedures. In the event you encounter any issues with scheduling or medical services, please contact the FUSD Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520.
Updated Friday, September 20, 2024:
The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the negotiations between Aetna® and Community Medical Centers. Conversations are still fluid but we wanted to notify our members about new details.
The official contract is set to expire on September 26, 2024, but both parties have continued to operate in good faith as conversations continue.
You may be receiving a letter from Aetna® regarding their negotiations with Community Medical Centers and Community Health Partners. Please note that these letters are not specific to Fresno Unified School District’s Aetna® plans. These negotiations impact all Aetna® members, not just our JHMB members.
The JHMB is committed to ensuring our members are taken care of.
While conversations continue, you shouldn’t experience any changes to your currently scheduled appointments and procedures. In the event you encounter any issues with scheduling or medical services, please contact the FUSD Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520.
Updated Friday, August 30, 2024:
Aetna® continues to actively engage in contract negotiations with Community Medical Centers. As a result of these negotiations, there are no interruptions or changes to your coverage at this time. The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to monitor the negotiations closely, and we will keep you informed on any changes in coverage.
Updated July 29, 2024:
If you are enrolled in one of Fresno Unified School District's Aetna® plans, you may have received a letter from Aetna® regarding the negotiations with Community Medical Centers. There are no interruptions or changes to your coverage at this time as a result of these negotiations. The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is continuing to closely monitor the negotiations, and we will keep you informed on any changes in coverage.
The Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) is tasked with keeping you, as a Fresno Unified School District (FUSD) health plan member, informed of changes and updates that affect your benefits and coverage.
Aetna® is currently in contract negotiations with Community Medical Centers and Saint Agnes Medical Center—these types of negotiations are common in the healthcare industry.
JHMB and FUSD are not involved in the negotiations, but we are following them closely and are committed to keeping you updated on how any resulting changes may affect your coverage. We are hopeful that Aetna® reaches agreements with the two medical centers soon! Stay updated by keeping up with our posts on this site, or by signing up for our newsletters below.
FUSD Aetna Negotiations Communications
FUSD Health Care Plans: Staying Updated on Aetna’s Negotiations With CMC and Saint Agnes Medical Center
The Fresno Unified School District is closely following the contract negotiations between Aetna® and Community Medical Centers and Saint Agnes Medical Center. These negotiations, which are common in the healthcare industry, could lead to changes in the coverage for FUSD Aetna® health plan members.
Neither the District nor the Joint Health Management Board (JHMB) that manages our health plans is involved in the negotiations, but the District is closely following these discussions and is hopeful that renewed agreements will be finalized. Follow the JHMB website to stay updated on the latest developments regarding the negotiations, or contact the FUSD Benefits Department at
(559) 457-3520.
