Sentara wants Anthem to pay more. Anthem wants to pay less. Patients could feel it either way.

A contract dispute between Centera Health and Anthem could affect nearly 380,000 Anthem members across Virginia. I'm I Ching Wang. This is WHO News. Centera is seeking about a 6% increase in reimbursement rates for next year, while Anthem has proposed roughly a 1% job. If no deal is reached, some contracts will expire starting next year. Centera says higher payments are needed to cover rising costs. But Sabrina Corlett, a health policy professor at Georgetown University, reviewed federal cost report data for Centera Norfolk General. It looks to me they've got a very healthy profit margin of 29.5%. And the national median for hospitals is 14%. So looks to me like they're doing quite well. Corlett says contract disputes like this often end in a deal, but higher hospital payments by the insurance company can eventually be passed to patients through higher premiums or deductibles. Centera remains in Anthem's network for now. I Ching Wang, WHRO News.