JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — The race to the finish line is real.
As just three days remain for Jacksonville-based Florida Blue to reach an agreement with Baptist Health, the state's biggest health insurance provider shared an update with First Coast News Friday on how contract negotiations with the health care company is going.
Florida Blue and Baptist Health hope to negotiate a new contract before the current one expires Sept. 30. Florida Blue said Baptist Health is raising prices too high, while Baptist Health said it's keeping up with rising 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 impact tens of thousands of people, particularly those who live on the First Coast.
"Our teams continue to negotiate and have committed to daily meetings through the end of the month when our current contract expires," Baptist Health said in a statement shared with First Coast News' news partner, the Florida Times-Union, on Sept. 19.
However, Florida Blue said Friday that Baptist Health has "refused our offer of an extension" and has refused continuing to meet over the weekend to reach a resolution.
To avoid any disruption to "kids and families," Florida Blue also said it has made a "generous," separate offer to have Wolfson Children's Hospital, the only pediatric hospital in the region, remain in-network. Despite the effort, Baptist Health stands firm on its $1 billion demand for a broader contract, according to Florida Blue.
"We implore Baptist Health leaders to end the impasse over Wolfson today," Florida Blue's North Market President Darnell Smith said. "That would be major progress as we continue to work around the clock on a broader agreement that avoids disruptions to any of our members."
Furthermore, Florida Blue said if the separate offer to keep Wolfson Children's Hospital in-network was agreed on by Baptist, it would "substantially increase reimbursement rates for care provided at Wolfson."
The negotiations with Baptist Health involve all Baptist hospitals in the Jacksonville area, including Baptist Medical Center downtown, Baptist Medical Center Beaches, Baptist Medical Center South, Wolfson Children's Hospital, and Baptist Medical Center Nassau in Nassau County. The talks also cover physicians who work for Baptist Health.
