Most Florida Blue members who use Baptist Health hospitals and doctors could lose in-network rates for medical services covered by their current contracts by Tuesday.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Florida Blue and Baptist Health face a Monday deadline to reach an agreement amid rocky negotiations on a new contract that would keep Baptist Health’s hospitals and physicians in the insurer’s network. are.
If no agreement is reached by Monday, most Florida Blue members who want to continue using Baptist Health hospitals and doctors will lose in-network rates for medical services covered by their current contracts starting Tuesday. .
Baptist Health said it was “expecting a reasonable response to our latest proposal” when it met with Florida Blue on Friday.
“Instead, today Florida Blue made it clear that negotiations were finished, but in the next breath requested a 30-day extension to the current contract,” Baptist Health said in a statement. “While we see no wisdom in an extension given Florida Blue’s refusal to compromise, we are always willing to negotiate a fair agreement by the original deadline.”
Florida Blue said it offered to extend the current contract by 30 days to continue negotiations and offered to continue meeting over the weekend, which “Baptist Health also declined.”
Florida Blue hopes to enter into a separate agreement to keep Wolfson Children’s Hospital, the region’s only children’s hospital, in its network, and then continue negotiations with other hospitals and medical facilities.
“We implore Baptist Health leaders to end the impasse over Mr. Wolfson today,” said Darnell Smith, president of Florida Blue’s North Florida market. “This will be a major step forward as we continue to work around the clock on a broader agreement to avoid disruption to member states.”
Baptist Health said Wolfson Children’s Hospital should be included in the comprehensive contract renewal because it is an “integral part of its day-to-day operations.”
Florida Blue estimates that approximately 34,000 of its members have used Baptist Health services in the past six months, and without the new plan, approximately 600,000 members in Northeast Florida would receive Baptist Health care at in-network rates. It states that the service will no longer be available. contract.
The Jacksonville-based insurance company says Northeast Florida residents are already struggling to pay their medical bills and Baptist Health’s proposal would drive up health insurance premiums, according to a poll released by Florida Blue. This confirms the company’s position that this will further increase its burden.
Florida Blue announced that in a survey commissioned by Harris Poll, 9 out of 10 residents said they were concerned about rising health care costs. The majority of respondents said they had delayed or missed needed medical care or prescription drug treatment because of cost.
Smith said in a statement accompanying the poll’s release that Baptist Health’s proposal would force consumers to pay higher premiums and other insurance-related costs.
“Jacksonville residents are already struggling to keep up with rising health care costs and making difficult decisions about when or if they should receive care,” Smith said. “It would be irresponsible for us to accept Baptist Hospital’s proposal to impose annual interest rate increases three times the rate of inflation on families and large employers, totaling more than $1 billion in new costs over the next five years. .”
Baptist Health said its employees understand concerns about health care costs and have taken steps to ensure that Baptist Health’s network of medical facilities, the largest in Northeast Florida, provides care in an affordable manner.
“Our priority is to ensure everyone has access to the care they need in the right environment and at the right cost,” Baptist Health said in response to the poll.
Baptist Health says the proposed new contract would bring Florida Blue’s reimbursement levels closer to what the insurer has been paying to similar health systems in the state over a five-year period.
Baptist Health said that even if consumers see a significant increase in their health insurance premiums, that does not mean that Baptist Health’s reimbursement amount has increased by the same rate.
“We continue to hear from our community that health insurance premiums are increasing by double digits every year, but we are only receiving low single digit increases from Florida Blue and no increases for our doctors. No,” Baptiste said. “The fixes we are seeking will help us reinvest in our communities to continue increasing access and care for all.”
Baptist Health says unless Florida Blue steps forward and closes the gap in what it reimburses Baptist compared to other health systems, Baptist Health will continue to be underpaid.
“That gap has widened over the years,” Baptist Health said. “We don’t want to get drawn into this conflict, but we must stand our ground so we can remain a viable health care option for our communities.”
The Harris Poll, commissioned by Florida Blue, conducted an online poll of 211 adults in Northeast Florida from Sept. 17 to Sept. 20.
According to Florida Blue, the survey found that 74% of respondents with children in their household said that they or someone in their household had delayed or not been able to receive needed medical care. The study found that 38% would delay or not obtain prescription or over-the-counter medications, and 62% of women were “likely to delay or not obtain” mental health care because of cost.
Baptist Health will provide extended hours access to “affordable emergency virtual care,” invest in community health and wellness programs at no cost to participants, and provide “very “Necessary services” are being provided at an economic cost. Mr. Baptist provides financial assistance and charity care to struggling patients because “we believe that no one should forego necessary treatment because of financial concerns.” said.
Florida Blue and Baptist Health have information on their websites about the negotiations, including answers to frequently asked questions. Florida Blue information can be found at www.floridablue.com/negotiation/baptisthealthjax and Baptist Health information can be found at www.baptistjax.com/patient-info/billing-and-insurance-information/florida-blue.
This article was first published by the Florida Times Union.
