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In the ongoing contract dispute between Bon Secours and Cigna, one thing is clear: the patients—the people these institutions are supposed to serve—stand to lose the most. While Bon Secours argues that it can no longer provide adequate care at current reimbursement rates and Cigna contends that a rate increase would drive up costs for its customers, neither entity seems to be prioritizing the very people who depend on them.

Health care is not just a business. It is a lifeline, and disruptions in coverage can have devastating consequences for individuals and families. If Bon Secours leaves Cigna’s network on April 1, thousands of patients in Virginia and Ohio could face increased medical bills, loss of access to trusted providers, and bureaucratic nightmares in seeking out-of-network care or scrambling to switch providers.

Bon Secours argues that Cigna’s payments are no longer sustainable, particularly after six years without a rate increase. Meanwhile, Cigna claims that meeting Bon Secours’ demands would impose an undue financial burden on its members. While both sides have their reasons, their failure to come to an agreement could place patients in an impossible position—forced to choose between financial hardship and continuity of care.

Patients don’t care about corporate posturing. They care about receiving the care they need from the doctors they trust, at a price they can afford. They deserve better than to be caught in the crossfire of a financial tug-of-war between a hospital system and an insurance giant.

Both Bon Secours and Cigna must recognize their shared responsibility to the community. A resolution must be reached that ensures fair compensation for providers without imposing excessive costs on patients. Otherwise, this dispute will serve as yet another example of how our fractured healthcare system prioritizes profits over people.

Time is running out. The clock is ticking toward April 1, and unless both sides put patients first, the very people they claim to serve will bear the heaviest burden.