Yes. Kootenai Health and Regence BlueShield of Idaho have reached a new multi-year contract agreement. Regence members will continue to have in-network access to all Kootenai Health services and providers.

Nothing changes for you. If you have Regence insurance, you can continue receiving care at Kootenai Health as an in-network patient. Your appointments, treatments, and ongoing care will continue as scheduled.

No action is required. Your coverage continues automatically. If you had postponed scheduling an appointment due to uncertainty, you can now schedule with confidence.

Yes. All Kootenai Health providers and Kootenai Clinic physicians remain in-network for Regence members. This includes primary care, specialists, and hospital services.

All existing appointments remain scheduled as planned. There is no disruption to your care.

Absolutely. Please contact your provider’s office or call our scheduling line to reschedule any appointments you may have postponed. We encourage you not to delay necessary care.

Health care contracts are periodically renegotiated between hospitals and insurance companies. These negotiations ensure that reimbursement rates fairly reflect the cost of providing care. Kootenai Health advocated for rates that allow us to continue investing in the facilities, services, and staff that our community relies on.

Our priority was twofold: first, protecting patient access so that families wouldn’t lose their in-network options; and second, ensuring fair reimbursement that reflects the true cost of providing high-quality health care in our region. Both are essential to our ability to serve this community for the long term.

Our patients and community won. The most important outcome is that families in northern Idaho retain access to their local health care system. We’re pleased that both organizations found common ground to make that happen.

This is a multi-year agreement designed to provide stability for patients. While all health care contracts are periodically renewed, we are committed to working constructively with all insurance partners to avoid disruption to patient care.

Employees with Regence coverage will continue to have in-network access to Kootenai Health. No changes to your benefits administration are required.

If your employees were aware of the contract uncertainty, you may wish to share the good news that an agreement has been reached. We are happy to provide template language if helpful. Contact us at [email protected].

With this agreement in place, Regence members will have continued in-network access to Kootenai Health. We encourage you to evaluate your benefits options based on what’s best for your organization and employees.

Yes—this is good news for you. State employees enrolled in the Regence plan through the Idaho Office of Group Insurance will continue to have in-network access to Kootenai Health. No action is required on your part.

The new agreement ensures continuous coverage with no gap. Regence members have uninterrupted in-network access to Kootenai Health.

Approximately 23,000 people with Regence insurance have received care at a Kootenai Health facility in the past 12 months and are affected by this agreement, including state employees and individuals with employer-sponsored or individual Regence plans.

For more information, please contact our patient services team at (208) 625-6228.