As Portneuf and Regence continue negotiations, CEO and spokeswoman detail their contract breakdown

POCATELLO – When contract negotiations between Portneuf Health and Regence BlueShield of Idaho failed, allowing their existing agreement to expire earlier this week, thousands of east Idahoans were left holding the bag.

Now those Regence policyholders are forced to choose whether to drive out of town for anything more than routine care, find a new insurance provider, or wait it out as the two parties continue negotiations.

Many of those who no longer have in-network coverage at Portneuf health care facilities are employees of the state of Idaho. In fact, a statement from Idaho’s Office of Group Insurance says approximately 3,600 state employees on the state employee health plan have been impacted.

“We recognize that this situation is disruptive for all involved. OGI (the Office of Group Insurance) remains optimistic that this will get resolved,” reads a communication sent out to affected people on Monday.

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Of these 3,600, about 1,800 are employees of Idaho State University in Pocatello. Lou Riepl, strategic communications manager for Regence, confirmed that this also includes employees of Pocatello-Chubbuck School District 25.

More broadly, Rieple said Regence estimates that approximately 5,700 people have been affected by the contract expiration.

The good news is that representatives from both Portneuf and Regence say that negotiations are ongoing.

“We are continuing to work toward an agreement that keeps care local and accessible for the communities we serve,” reads a Monday news release from Portneuf Health.

Regence identifies the party it’s been negotiating with as Ardent Health, Portneuf’s Tennessee-based parent company.

“We understand the concern and trouble this causes our members, and we remain committed to continuing discussions with Ardent Health to bring Portneuf Medical Center’s facilities and providers back in network,” Regence states in its Monday release.

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EastIdahoNews.com reached out to both Portneuf and Regence to learn more about the negotiation process. Regence replied with a written statement, and Nate Carter, CEO of Portneuf Health, sat down for an interview.

Here’s what the two sides told us:

The negotiations

Regence said negotiations began late last year. “Regence initiated negotiations in December 2025; we received our first proposal from Ardent Health in March 2026,” Riepl said.

On Regence’s side, negotiations are led by Regence BlueShield of Idaho’s vice president of contracting and the director of provider contracting, who Riepl said are both based in Idaho.

Carter told EastIdahoNews that on Portneuf’s side, negotiations have been led by him and John Abreu, CFO of Portneuf Health, with assistance from Ardent Health’s contracting team. He also clarified that the executive team at Portneuf is also employed by Ardent Health.

The money dispute

Regence insures a significant portion of Portneuf’s patients, with Carter saying it’s around 12% to 15% of the hospital’s total patient population. Carter also said Regence denies around 75% of Portneuf’s claims, and then only pays around 78% of what it owes.

Because of this, Carter said that Regence currently owes Portneuf $25 million of unpaid claims.

“When they’re short paying us, that is just the opposite of what I would view competitive to be. They’re not treating us fairly, and they’re not paying us according to our contract,” Carter said.

Carter said the extra work has strained Portneuf’s administration. “The payment methods that they use … are administratively killing us because of the hassle that it is to go back and forth,” he said.

Regence, however, claims its offers to increase payments were snubbed by Portneuf.

“They ultimately decided to walk away from a competitive multi-year offer,” the Regence release states. “Our proposed agreement offered Ardent Health rate increases that more than cover the cost of care for Regence patients.”

Carter disputes that this offer was competitive.

“Regence pays other Idaho-based hospitals and systems significantly more than they’ve offered to pay us, which is the definition of not being competitive,” Carter said.

Regence says this was not the outcome it hoped for and that its goal is still to provide members with “access to high-quality healthcare at an affordable price.”

“We are disappointed in Ardent Health’s response; however, we need to stand up for affordability for our employer group customers and members,” the insurance company says.

Where can Regence policyholders go for care?

Portneuf says people who are insured through Regence will still be able to receive emergency care at in-network rates, but non-emergency services “may result in higher out-of-pocket costs.”

The health care company’s release also says that some patients may qualify for “continuity of care protections,” and that people should call 1-888-675-6570 for details, or the number on the back of their insurance card.

Regence says that some of its members may be eligible for continuity of care for a limited time, with eligibility conditions that include:

• Seeing the provider for a serious or complex condition, including certain chronic conditions
• Undergoing a course of institutional or inpatient care from the provider
• Being scheduled for non-elective surgery from the provider
• Being pregnant and seeing the provider for pregnancy-related care
• Being determined to be terminally ill

Portneuf provides a full list of insurances accepted in its network at portneuf.org/insurance. It also says it has staff available to assist patients in transitioning their care to another provider, and that medical records can be found in MyChart, or by calling 208-239-1100 or at portneuf.org/request-medical-records.

Additionally, Regence provided a list of facilities in eastern Idaho, as well as some online providers, that are within its network.

Hospitals:

• Bingham Memorial Hospital, Blackfoot, Idaho
• Caribou Medical Center, Soda Springs, Idaho
• Mountain View Hospital, Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Idaho Falls Community Hospital, Idaho Falls, Idaho
• Grove Creek Medical Center, Blackfoot, Idaho

Primary care and multispecialty clinics:

• Bingham Memorial Clinics, Pocatello, Idaho
• MVH PIC (Physicians Immediate Care), Pocatello, Idaho
• Brandon A West Clinic, Pocatello, Idaho
• Health West, Chubbuck, Idaho
• Intermountain Medical Clinic, Pocatello, Idaho

Virtual providers:

• Doctor on Demand – on-demand access to medical and behavioral health providers
• Hinge Health – virtual physical therapy
• AbleTo – mental health therapy for ages 18+
• Charlie Health – behavioral health services for ages 11-34
• Equip – treatment for eating disorders for all ages
• Talkspace – behavioral health counseling for ages 13+; psychiatry/medication management for ages 18+
• Boulder Care – substance use disorder treatment
• Vynca – palliative care
• NOCD – treatment for obsessive-compulsive disorders for ages 6+

When he spoke with EastIdahoNews.com, Carter took issue with Regence directing its members to some out-of-town facilities as alternative places to seek healthcare.

“From somebody that lives here in this community … it would be a very big ask to say, ‘Go find another provider in Idaho Falls,'” he said. “That’s not reasonable for people in Pocatello to drive to Idaho Falls for healthcare.”

Working toward a deal

Both Portneuf Health and Regence BlueShield of Idaho maintain that negotiations are ongoing.

“Of late, calls and counter proposal exchanges have occurred multiple times a day as both sides work toward resolution,” Riepl said.

Carter also said that on Wednesday, the day of our interview, he had already had an hour-long phone call with Regence representatives and had another scheduled for later that day.

“We’re still very much in the middle of it,” Carter said.

When asked what Portneuf Health could do to make a deal possible, Riepl replied, “When Idaho organizations work to understand each other’s needs and pursue a middle ground, agreements naturally follow.”

CORRECTION: An earlier version incorrectly identified Regence BlueShield of Idaho as Regence BlueCross of Idaho.