JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Many insurance holders on the First Coast are caught in the middle of a tug of war between Baptist Health and Florida Blue.
Baptist Health and Florida Blue hope to negotiate a new contract before the current one expires Sept. 30. Florida Blue says Baptist Health is raising prices too high, while Baptist Health says it's just keeping up with raising costs.
If a deal is not reached by Sept. 30, Baptist Health hospitals, physicians, and many other clinical locations will be out of network Oct. 1. This could impacts wide swaths of the population across the First Coast.
Below are the latest statements from both Baptist Health and Florida Blue.
Baptist Health
The latest statement issued by Baptist Health was Friday, Aug. 30, which states, "We continue to negotiate in good faith. We met with Florida Blue yesterday and at our request, Florida Blue has agreed to add a third meeting in September to the two that were already scheduled."
The provider issued a lengthier statement on Aug. 15, that states the following:
We do not want anyone's health care to be disrupted. As we continue working to reach an agreement with Florida Blue, we are encouraging patients with Blue Cross Blue Shield insurance to be seen before our contract end date, when possible. Our goal is to ensure our patients have options for continuing their care with us while helping to protect them from unexpected medical expenses their insurance may not cover.
Without a new contract in place at this time, we must assume that appointments occurring after September 30 will be non-covered. Therefore, we are providing patients who wish to make or keep appointments in or after October with an estimate with a self-pay discount. Alternatively, if a patient potentially qualifies for Continuity of Care coverage, we encourage them to contact their insurance company to pursue that option.
As with any scheduled service, we work with patients to make payment arrangements 2 or 5 days in advance, depending on the service. We are sensitive to the needs of different patients and offer a range of flexible payment options.
It is important to know that Baptist Health and Wolfson Children’s will continue to provide emergency, CareSpot Urgent Care, virtual care and more to all BCBS members regardless of network status; unaffected services are listed on our website at baptistjax.com/florida-blue.
About the negotiations -
The outcome we strive for is a fair, long-term agreement that provides us with certainty, provides Florida Blue with network stability and ensures our patients have continued access to the quality care they rely on. We have only asked Florida Blue to pay market-based rates, consistent with what they pay other similar health systems in the state. Our 14,000 caregivers devote their lives to serving our community, and we would not be doing this if it weren’t necessary to protect our health system’s long-term sustainability.
Florida Blue
Florida Blue released the following statement Aug. 30.
“Florida Blue continues to seek a fair and reasonable agreement with Baptist Health that preserves access to affordable health care without raising costs for our members. Baptist’s latest demands total more than $900 million in new costs over the next 5 years at a time when many in our community are already struggling to make ends meet. Should Baptist choose to exit our network, we remain committed to ensuring that everyone who calls Jacksonville home can access affordable care through our strong partnerships with exceptional providers across Northeast Florida, including the Florida Blue | Sanitas Medical Centers.”
