Premera is in active contract negotiations with MultiCare Health System. MultiCare issued an early termination notice in November 2025 that could result in contracts ending on June 1, 2026, if a new agreement is not reached. This means that MultiCare providers, clinics, hospitals, and facilities across Washington would no longer be in network for Premera members starting June 1.
Negotiations overview
Premera contracts with healthcare providers and hospital systems to ensure our members have access to quality, affordable care in their communities. These agreements are periodically renewed and renegotiated, and Premera and MultiCare have been engaged in that process recently.
As always, our focus is on our members. We serve as their advocates during these negotiations and work to come to agreements on fair payment rates that guarantee members have access to affordable healthcare while maintaining quality at MultiCare facilities and reasonable compensation for healthcare workers.
We value our partnerships with healthcare systems and are committed to finding practical solutions that keep care affordable and accessible. We began these negotiations in good faith and continue them in the same spirit.
Frequently asked questions
Premera negotiates with healthcare systems regularly to maintain a strong network of quality providers to serve our membership. Our goal in these negotiations is to reach an agreement that fairly compensates providers while ensuring our members can access quality healthcare at affordable prices.
To learn more about the negotiation process and how Premera approaches negotiations, visit our blog post on the topic here.
Termination notices can be sent by providers, healthcare systems, and health plans, and they indicate that the issuing party intends to not renew an existing contract. They are filed with the contracted party, as well as Washington state insurance commissioners. These notices are matters of public record.
Termination notices do not end contracts immediately. When a health system issues a termination notice during a negotiation, Premera continues those conversations in good faith, working to come to an agreement before the contract ends and avoid interruptions for our members.
As mandated by state regulations, Premera issues communications to members 30 days in advance of a contract ending to notify our members that the terminating health system is set to end their contract.
When healthcare systems ask for double-digit rate increases for their services, those cost increases get passed on to our members, through both increased prices for provider visits and increased premiums that our customers pay.
We want to compensate providers and health systems fairly. But we cannot accept rate increase requests that unnecessarily drive healthcare costs higher for customers and members.
We work hard to reach agreements with all our partners, and our aim is to prevent any termination issued to Premera from taking effect, avoiding any service interruptions for our members we serve.
If talks stretch to within 30 days of the end of a provider contract, we will notify members to provide transition information and additional support for individuals with serious or chronic conditions. We will also share updates on the status of negotiations on our Healthsource blog.
If you are a Premera member or an employer whose team may be impacted by this termination, please visit our HealthSource blog to learn what comes next and how you can prepare. You’ll also find information about available, in-network healthcare options including:
- Resources to find a provider in your area
- Primary care options like Kinwell clinics
- Telehealth and virtual care services
