Hillcrest Healthcare System is now out of network for all Aetna insurance plans across the Tulsa area, after the two sides let their contract expire on Nov. 1 without reaching a new deal. That means Hillcrest facilities and the doctors who work for the system are no longer considered in-network providers for Aetna members, though emergency visits will still be covered at in-network benefit levels.
As News On 6 reports, Hillcrest attributed the breakdown to negotiations that failed to produce a solution benefiting patients, Hillcrest and Aetna alike. The hospital system said it had tried repeatedly to reach Aetna leadership over the prior six months but was rebuffed, with Hillcrest saying Aetna leadership refused to engage despite those outreach attempts. Hillcrest also pointed to what it described as below-market reimbursement rates and payment practices from Aetna that it says have added pressure on healthcare delivery across Oklahoma.
Aetna offered a very different account of who pulled the plug. The insurer told the outlet that Hillcrest chose to terminate the agreement, and said it had offered terms it considered fair. According to Aetna, Hillcrest was pushing for price increases that would have significantly raised costs for members and the employers and health plan sponsors who help cover their premiums.
Both Sides Say They're Still Willing to Talk
Despite trading blame, neither party has declared the relationship permanently over. Hillcrest said it remains engaged in discussions and will continue working toward an agreement, while Aetna said it remains willing to negotiate — but added it would not agree to terms it believes would impose significant cost increases on members and plan sponsors. Hillcrest also said significant issues remain unresolved between the two organizations.
The dispute is being felt well beyond conference-room negotiations. Industry outlet Becker's Payer Issues reported the change affects 15,000 people, underscoring how a single contract lapse can ripple through a large patient population in one region.
What Aetna Patients Can Do Now
For Medicare-eligible patients, Hillcrest is recommending they use the upcoming Annual Enrollment Period to look for plans that still include Hillcrest in network. Aetna's own guidance to Medicare members confirms that a provider network change affecting a patient's care may open the door to a Special Enrollment Period, allowing a plan switch outside the standard enrollment window.
Not every Aetna product is caught up in the fallout. Aetna Better Health is not affected by the network change, and Hillcrest said those patients should remain fully contracted. For everyone else, some patients may qualify for continuity-of-care protections — a safeguard Aetna describes as applying to members who are in active treatment with a provider that has left the network. Aetna's own materials note that approved transition coverage only lasts for a limited period of time, and that members who apply will receive a coverage determination by mail.
Aetna's consumer guidance also warns that going out of network can carry real financial consequences, since out-of-network costs may be higher, or a service may not be covered at all, depending on the specific plan. Patients with questions about whether they qualify for continuity of care are being told to contact Aetna using the phone number listed on the back of their insurance card.
A Pattern of Payer Negotiations in Tulsa
This isn't the first time a major Tulsa-area insurer relationship has hung in the balance. Back in 2024, Hillcrest and Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Oklahoma reached a new two-year agreement covering Hillcrest facilities and provider groups, serving members in Tulsa, Owasso, Claremore, Cushing, Henryetta and Pryor. That deal shows these contract fights don't always end in a permanent split — though for now, Aetna members in the Hillcrest system are left navigating the gap between two companies that can't agree on who walked away first.
