JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — Baptist Health sent a letter to Jacksonville residents this week saying it may be forced to drop Florida Blue as an in-network provider, citing a compensation issue in their ongoing contract negotiations.
"Health insurance contracts that do not pay enough to cover the cost of care make it hard for us to continue offering the high-quality health care services you rely on," the letter reads.
Baptist says Florida Blue is the largest health plan in the state and currently covers patients visiting Baptist Health or Wolfson Children's Hospital locations in an in-network capacity.
Should Baptist Health drop Florida Blue as an in-network insurance provider, costs would increase for its members.
"We need them to reimburse us fairly so that we can continue providing the care that only Baptist Health and Wolfson Children's Hospital provide," Baptist said.
In a statement released to First Coast News, Florida Blue says it's "focused on reaching an agreement to keep this provider in-network without significantly increasing health care costs for our members."
A Florida Blue spokesperson said they remain "hopeful" they can agree on final terms with Baptist by the deadline.
Baptist Health's current agreement with Florida Blue expires Sept. 30.
Each company released a statement to First Coast News, which can be read below.
Statement from Baptist Health:
It is standard practice to review and update health insurance contracts from time to time. We rely on fair contracts to ensure we are paid appropriately, accurately, and promptly for the care we provide.
Our patients deserve to know that we are in contract negotiations with Florida Blue, which potentially impacts all Blue Cross Blue Shield plans used in our market. It is early in the process. Our goal is to reach an agreement before our current contracts expire on Sept. 30, 2024.
For now, nothing has changed; Baptist Health is still in network with Florida Blue and BCBS. Patients should continue to access care at Baptist Health/Wolfson Children’s as they normally would.
As our negotiation evolves, we are committed to keeping patients updated. In the meantime, patients can find answers to many questions at baptistjax.com/florida-blue or by calling 904.202.3247 Mon-Fri, 8 am – 8 pm.
Statement from Florida Blue:
We are currently in negotiations with northeast Florida’s Baptist Health and remain focused on reaching an agreement to keep this provider in-network without significantly increasing health care costs for our members.
Baptist Health operates hospitals, imaging centers, labs, primary and specialty care and other facilities across the Jacksonville area of Northeast Florida. If we do not reach an agreement, our contract with Baptist Health will terminate on September 30, 2024.
Throughout the negotiation process, our goal is to avoid health care disruption for our members and keep health care affordable and within reach for the millions of Floridians we serve. This is particularly important to our members who want to remain with their current hospital, provider, and/or doctor. This is a personal and important matter to them, and in turn for us.
We remain hopeful we can agree on final terms with Baptist Health that support our commitment to provide our members with affordable, quality health care, as we have in the past.
We encourage our members to visit https://www.FloridaBlue.com/Negotiation/BaptistHealthJax for our latest updates, or they can call the number located on the back of their member ID card.
