Some frequent users of WellNow Urgent Care Centers now must get medical help elsewhere or cough up some extra cash. As of the start of 2024, Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield insurance will no longer be accepted at the facilities after contract negotiations fell through.

Spectrum News 1 spoke to an Excellus BlueCross BlueShield customer who is affected by the change.

“There’s just so many factors where this is a huge inconvenience for people who are going through different things," said the customer, Erika Turner.

For years, Turner’s family has had Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurance. Every time something came up, they went to WellNow. 

“You don’t have to wait for a emergency room visit to sit in a waiting room for hours, so it's very convenient when we have an illness, or something that needs to be treated on the spot," said Turner.

Excellus Blue Cross Blue Shield customers can still go to WellNow, but...

“It's going to be like using out-of-network services and different things like that, where the fees are just going to be astronomical just to get simple health care," Turner said.

Turner’s main concern are her parents. 

“Especially with my dad and mom, both seniors over 70. My dad has, unfortunately, had a lot of health problems that he has gratefully recovered from," said Turner. "But anything can happen at any age, but especially with seniors, they deserve more. Money should not come over their health, care and quality.”

The dispute affects only Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield customers. Other types of BlueCross Blue Shield are still covered.

Excellus said its service area is divided into four regions spanning 31 counties across the state: the Central New York region, which includes Cayuga, Cortland, Onondaga, Oswego and Tompkins counties; the Rochester region, encompassing Livingston, Monroe, Ontario, Seneca, Wayne and Yates counties; the Southern Tier region, including Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Tioga, Schuyler and Steuben counties; and the Utica/North Country region, comprising of Clinton, Delaware, Essex, Franklin, Fulton, Hamilton, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Montgomery, Oneida, Otsego and St. Lawrence counties.

Excellus released a statement: "It was WellNow Urgent Care's decision to leave our provider network on Jan. 1, 2024. While we're disappointed by their decision, our focus now is on assisting our members with questions they may have around plan coverage and options for care." 

Late last year, WellNow launched a website urging Excellus customers to push for a fair deal. The site will automatically contact Excellus and political officials on your behalf.

“We don’t know what else to do, other than let the public know, let our politicians in these regions know what’s happening, why it's happening and the fact that in the Rochester, Syracuse, Utica regions were being treated unfairly," said Dr. Robert Biernbaum, WellNow chief medical officer.

Turner hopes both sides reach an agreement quickly and think about the people who are impacted.

"Think about that from a human standpoint, rather than a financial standpoint or a financial gain for each one," she said. 

WellNow said negotiations are not currently ongoing and the ball is in Excellus’ court. If you are an Excellus BlueCross Blue Shield member, Excellus wants you to go to their website to learn about other options for care.