Nearly 25,000 individual and business customers of Highmark in Butler County got a letter in May stating the contract between Highmark and Butler Health Systems will expire June 30.

Both Michael Weinstein, Highmark spokesman, and John Righetti, BHS spokesman, said Thursday the two sides are continuing contract talks.

The contract does not affect any Highmark Medicare reimbursements, but instead is for patients under 65 years of age and for commercial insurance programs.

Should the contract expire without a new one in place, Butler Memorial Hospital and BHS's Outpatient Services will continue to be covered as "member" facilities by Highmark until Jan. 1, Righetti said.

After that, if the health system was to become an "out of Highmark system" facility, Highmark customers still could seek treatment with Highmark reimbursing the customer and then the customer paying BHS, he said.

"If this were to happen, which would be the worst of the worst case scenarios, Butler Health System has decided that whatever Highmark's payment to the customer is, that is what the health system will accept as full payment (regardless of an actual higher billing total)," Righetti said.

"But we don't expect this to go on that long," he said, adding that he believes a contract will be reached by June 30.