Sloan Kettering cancer patients are getting sick because of the threat of losing medical coverage under the insurance company Cigna

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by Carl Campanile

Dozens of cancer patients are scared to death after being told they could lose their medical coverage due to a financial dispute between a prestigious Manhattan specialty hospital and the health insurance giant, The Post has learned.

Patients — including those with seriously ill stage IV cancer — received letters from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center last month claiming that their insurer, Cigna, would soon drop their in-network coverage.

Sloan Kettering urged patients to contact Cigna to pressure the insurer to maintain their coverage while the two sides negotiate payment terms for cancer care services.

“We are writing to let you know that Cigna Healthcare does not plan to renew its contract with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) as an in-network insurance provider in 2024. This will impact your ability to receive care at MSK in the future,” said Lisa De Angelis, CEO. to MSK, in a Dec. 1 letter sent to patients enrolled in Cigna.

“We have done everything we can to reach a fair agreement with Cigna. MSK has faced significant cost increases in recent years and Cigna is unwilling to help cover these costs. As a result, we have been unable to reach an agreement that allows us to provide the best cancer care at cost.” Low for our patients.

The letter continues, “We encourage you to call Cigna at the number on the back of your insurance card to let them know you want to continue accessing MSK.”

A breast cancer survivor said she was shocked and sick after reading Sloan Kettering’s letter.

“My heart just stopped. It’s a scary situation to have this burden placed on me,” said Leslie, who underwent breast cancer surgery and chemotherapy two years ago and continues to receive services from doctors at Sloan Kettering.

“This is my health care,” she said.

A friend of another patient currently being treated for stage 4 cancer said: “It’s not about people getting treatment for a broken arm. This is a vulnerable population.”

Leslie, who asked that her full name not be used, said she felt she and the other patients were being treated like pawns.

But Sloan Kettering’s pressure or scare tactic to get patients to contact Cigna appears to have been successful.

Leslie blamed Cigna — saying at least Sloan Kettering informed her of the dispute while Cigna did not.

“Sloan Kettering saved my life. I’m not going to see them as the villain in this case. Cigna is the villain here,” said Leslie, 33, a mother of two.

“Cigna is taking care of health care,” she said.

“These types of messages are unfortunately all too common,” said Assemblywoman Amy Pauline (D-Scarsdale), who chairs the Assembly Health Committee.

“Patients are stuck in the middle. Both parties must acknowledge that it is terrible for patients. They have an obligation to work on this problem so that patients are not used as pawns,” the state lawmaker said.

Most of the time, the hospital and health insurance company reach an agreement on pricing medical bills — but not always, Bolin said.

“If Cigna withdraws from providing coverage at Sloan Kettering Hospital, that will be a problem for patients,” Bolen said. “At what point is it fair to tell patients?”

Both Sloan Kettering and Cigna declined to say how many patients would be affected if they failed to reach terms on a new contract.

They said that the current contract has been extended for a month until February 15, and that a new contract is being worked on.

“Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK) has reached a tentative agreement with Cigna that will enable MSK to remain in-network. As a result, we have extended the termination date of the current contract to February 15, 2024 to ensure patients can continue To get coverage at MSK.

“We have mutually agreed to extend our current contract through February 15 as we work together to finalize a new agreement,” Cigna spokeswoman Madeline Ziomek said.

In a letter to patients, MSK President De Angelis said patients receiving active treatment at the world-famous cancer center will remain eligible for in-network coverage until at least April 14, 2024, and bone marrow transplants will be covered for a year of treatment. .