POCATELLO — Portneuf Health and Regence BlueShield of Idaho have reached a new long-term agreement that restores in-network access for Regence members at Portneuf facilities, ending a monthslong dispute that had left thousands of Southeast Idaho patients facing the prospect of significantly higher out-of-pocket costs.
The two sides announced the deal Saturday. It comes retroactive to June 15, 2026 — the day their previous contract expired and Portneuf went out of network with Regence, following months of increasingly public negotiations over reimbursement rates, unpaid claims and what Portneuf had described as a pattern of claim denials by the insurer.
Under the new agreement, Regence members can once again receive care throughout the Portneuf Health system including Portneuf Medical Center at in-network rates. Because the deal is retroactive, members who received care at Portneuf while the system was out of network can expect those claims to be covered at in-network rates as well, Regence said.
Portneuf said patients don’t need to take any action as a result of the new agreement and can continue seeing their current providers without further disruption.
“This agreement is an important step forward for patients who rely on our teams for care,” said Nate Carter, Portneuf Health’s chief executive officer. “It restores in-network access, provides greater certainty for patients and families, and establishes a foundation that supports the long-term delivery of high-quality care in our region.”
Beyond restoring in-network status, Portneuf said the agreement includes changes designed to reduce barriers to care, cut administrative burdens and reduce payment denials — issues that had been at the center of the earlier dispute.
Mark Ruszczyk, president of Regence BlueShield of Idaho, thanked Portneuf for reaching a deal and credited the Pocatello community for its patience throughout the dispute.
“We appreciate Portneuf’s willingness to work with us on an agreement that allows our members to continue access to in-network care at Portneuf Health,” Ruszczyk said. “We are also grateful to the Pocatello community for its patience as we advocated for affordability on behalf of our members and customers.”
The agreement caps a dispute that became increasingly public starting in late April, when both sides began offering sharply different accounts of what was driving the breakdown. Portneuf had argued Regence reimbursed the health system at unfairly low rates compared to other insurers and accused Regence’s parent company, Cambia Health Solutions, of owing more than $30 million in unpaid claims and denying nearly 76% of claims the hospital said it had appropriately submitted.
Regence, for its part, had characterized those figures as misleading, arguing the real issue was the size of the rate increases Portneuf’s parent company, Ardent Health, was seeking. The Idaho Office of Group Insurance said that Ardent had initially sought a 73% increase over seven years, later lowering its proposal to a 41.6% increase over five years.
Neither side’s Saturday news release detailed the specific reimbursement terms that ultimately resolved that gap.
Patients with questions about their specific insurance plan should contact Regence directly or visit regence.com. Patients with other questions are encouraged to contact their provider’s office.