Fresno Unified Reaches Agreement with Aetna, Community Medical Centers Restoring In-Network Access

Fresno Unified leaders said Feb. 20 that an agreement with Aetna and Community Medical Centers would restore in-network access for district retirees who suddenly lost local provider coverage on Jan. 1, 2026. Superintendent Misty Her told KFSN that "Community Medical Centers has agreed to an extension of access for retirees," and the district published press materials the same day announcing continuity of in-network access.

The loss of network status began when Fresno Unified notified members that "as of January 1, 2026, Community Medical Centers and Community Health Partners are no longer participating providers in the Aetna Medicare Advantage network for JHMB members" because parties failed to reach a deal before the Dec. 31, 2025 deadline. Fresno Unified's member guidance warned that retirees may be able to seek out-of-network care if providers bill Aetna as out-of-network, but that such care could carry higher cost-sharing and reimbursements would be subject to plan rules. The district directed benefit questions to the FUSD Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520.

About 6,200 Fresno Unified retirees and dependents are enrolled in Aetna’s Medicare Advantage program, and Fresno Unified told the Fresno Bee that approximately 25 percent of those members received primary care through Community Health System clinics and hospitals. In the immediate aftermath of the Jan. 1 termination, Community Health System agreed to accept Fresno Unified retirees on Aetna’s Medicare Advantage PPO plan for clinic visits and prescription refills through mid-February, with KFSN reporting the temporary access specifically through Feb. 20. CHS said it would continue care for patients in active treatment, provide emergency services regardless of insurance status, and seek Aetna approvals case by case for other services.

Community Health System President and CEO Craig A. Wagoner framed CHS’s interim steps as an effort to avoid care disruptions, saying "We are working with Fresno Unified to help ensure FUSD retirees have access to our hospitals and providers during our negotiations with Aetna and to minimize disruption in care." CHS also told reporters it is demanding reimbursement from Aetna that covers the cost of care during the dispute.

The dispute had immediate personal impacts. Former Bullard High English teacher and retiree Emily Brandt, who has a rare cancer, told KFSN "Every person is struggling with this the way I am struggling" after Community canceled her appointments. Brandt said she is traveling to Dana-Farber in Boston because "They will accept our insurance at Dana-Farber, but Community doesn't" and added "I'm going to Boston and hoping to get a treatment there."

Negotiations are not new to the district. Joint Health Management Board notices show contract extensions and renewals with Aetna and local providers dating back to Sept. 24 and Sept. 30, 2024, and a Jan. 2, 2025 notice confirming an agreement with Saint Agnes/Fresno Surgical Center. Fresno Unified noted that after a 2023 market review the Aetna Medicare Advantage PPO plan went into effect July 1, 2023 for eligible members.

Fresno Unified’s Feb. 20 announcement stops short of publishing detailed contract terms; the district’s press materials confirm an agreement but the available excerpts do not include financial terms, an Aetna statement, or clarity on whether the restoration is temporary or long term. Aetna has not been quoted in the materials released so far. The district continues to direct questions to the Benefits Office at (559) 457-3520 for retirees seeking clarity on coverage or reimbursements.