Allentown, Pa.-based Lehigh Valley Health Network, which operates 13 hospitals and numerous care sites in Eastern Pennsylvania, will largely stop accepting Aetna insurance in 2023, Morning Call reported Nov. 10.

The move will be effective from March 13, LVHN said in a letter to employees. It comes after years of Aetna refusing to pay for care or delaying care for patients, the health group claimed.

LVHN, which has contracted with Aetna for 20 years, has been in dispute with the insurance company before, the report said. Back in 2000, the hospital group threatened to cut ties with Aetna over a dispute over care reimbursements. 

Some Aetna coverage will remain for emergency care or for serious treatments such as cancer care, according to the letter.

LVHN declined to comment to Morning Call, and Aetna could not be reached, the report said.

More details on the story, which comes at a time when people are enrolling in new healthcare plans, can be found here.