Local Healthcare Is Built Close to Home, And Worth Protecting

Local Healthcare Is Built Close to Home, And Worth Protecting
By Keith A. Page, President & CEO (Retired), Anderson Healthcare

For nearly three decades, I had the privilege of leading Anderson Healthcare and serving the people of this community. Throughout those years, I witnessed what truly defines this region: neighbors and families who care for one another, and who show up in the moments that matter most. Access to local, high-quality healthcare is the bedrock of our strong community, affording everyone peace of mind to know no matter the life event, Anderson Healthcare is here for you, too.

At Anderson Healthcare, we built every service, partnership, and investment around that belief. Whether it was expanding access to specialists, opening new imaging centers, or strengthening emergency transport and trauma care, the goal never changed. High-quality, compassionate care should be available close to home for every family who needs it.

What many in the community may not see is how delicate the balance is behind the scenes to keep that promise alive. Delivering modern healthcare requires sustained support, from recruiting physicians, to maintaining critical services, to investing in technology that ensures safe, timely care. And much of that stability depends on insurers reimbursing hospitals, including Anderson, fairly for the care our teams provide.

Increasingly, those reimbursement decisions are controlled by large national insurers whose priorities do not always reflect the needs of the communities we serve. UnitedHealthcare is one such example. When a national insurer holds firm to outdated reimbursement models and creates unnecessary hurdles, whether through delays, denials, or narrow payment policies, the impact is not abstract. It lands directly on patients. It means postponed treatments, fewer choices for specialized care, and families forced to navigate avoidable financial and emotional strain.

This is why fair reimbursement is not just a financial discussion. It is a community issue. It is about access, stability, and the long-term health of the region.

Even in retirement, I remain deeply proud of how Anderson Healthcare continues to reinvest in this community. The system has always operated with a mission-first mindset because the people here deserve nothing less. That commitment is what sets local healthcare apart, and what must be protected.

As insurers make decisions that shape patients’ access to care, I urge them to recognize how essential local health systems are. Fair reimbursement keeps services close to home, supports local jobs, and ensures families can rely on high-quality care without traveling elsewhere.

Strong communities deserve strong hospitals, and Anderson Healthcare has spent decades earning that trust. I’m hopeful that all of our partners, including United Healthcare, will stand with us in that mission so our community can continue receiving the care it depends on.