Gainesville-Based Health System Finally Reaches Contract Deal With Anthem

Three months after their previous contract ended, Northeast Georgia Health System and Georgia’s largest insurer reached an agreement Monday on a new deal that restores network status to thousands of consumers.

The long-running contract dispute had attracted the interest of major state lawmakers and had unnerved many patients of the Gainesville-based system who have Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield insurance. Northeast Georgia has hospitals in Gainesville, Braselton, Winder and Dahlonega, dominating medical care in those areas.

Consumers in those areas faced a tough choice during open enrollment periods: whether to sign up for an Anthem health plan and lose network access to those hospitals, or choose another health plan with Northeast Georgia as a network provider.