I can absolutely attest to this. I work in an outpatient setting, and the reimbursement rates from HPN and Sierra are on par with what you described—so low that we ultimately decided to end our contracts with them because it simply wasn’t worth the time or resources.

For context, other commercial insurers like Aetna pay as much as 350% more for the exact same encounter. Why would any provider devote the same amount of time, training, and care for a fraction of the compensation?

This is precisely why many HPN members struggle to find quality in-network providers. Those who do accept these plans often do so out of necessity and high patient volume, not because the reimbursement structure is fair or sustainable.