Providence Health and ASH Network

This is an update for people with Providence insurance. Starting September 1st, 2025 (some plans will change 01/01/2026), Providence alternative health benefits will be managed by another organization, American Specialty Health, (ASH). There are a few aspects about this change that I think you should know since it will indubitably affect your access to alternative care as it will also impact providers’ ability to provide care and stay in network with your insurance. For example, ASH often requires medical necessity reviews before authorizing alternative healthcare services. In essence this means ASH decides if you are eligible for care and how many visits you are allowed to receive. It also means that providers have to spend administrative time on paperwork. This process can potentially result in a delay in receiving care based on having to wait for their review process to be completed before follow-up appointments can happen. Ultimately, this process can be unsustainable not only for patients seeking care, but also for healthcare providers in terms of the burden it places, jeopardizing our ability to guarantee care for patients. As a result, providers like myself may not be able to maintain network participation unless Providence reverses its decision to partner with ASH. However, policies like these have been successfully challenged in the past when enough members push back. If you are a Providence member and you want to retain coverage for alternative health benefits, we encourage you to contact your employer, insurance administrator and/or Providence insurance directly to complain about this policy. Please reach out if you have any questions.