HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) - Hartford HealthCare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield have reached an agreement after a more than monthlong impasse that left patients scrambling to find new doctors and new insurance plans.

Anthem and Hartford HealthCare had both failed to reach an agreement Sept. 30 on a new contract. Due to the missed deadline, state patients insured through Anthem were considered out-of-network and faced higher out-of-pocket costs.

The three-year contract announced Saturday restores access to physicians, facilities and services within the network to patients with Anthem insurance. It's retroactive to Oct. 1, meaning patients who received out-of-network care from HHC since that date will pay what they would have paid if HHC had been in network all along.

Democratic Gov. Dannel P. Malloy says the agreement gives consumers "the peace of mind that they deserve."

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