Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas said it’s reached a verbal commitment with Hospital Corporation of America for reimbursement rates to be paid by the health insurance company to the hospital giant’s Texas facilities after their current contract expires Saturday. Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, which includes Methodist Hospital , is partly owned by HCA. Blue Cross and HCA are now working to formalize the verbal agreement in writing.
Health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas confirmed today that it has reached a verbal agreement with Hospital Corporation of America that will keep the hospital giant in the insurer’s provider network after their current contract expires Saturday.
Blue Cross said it is “now working to formalize all verbal commitments agreed upon last week,” according to a statement released by the insurer late this morning.
The two sides have been at odds concerning reimbursement rates that Blue Cross would pay under a new contract with HCA’s 74 hospitals and surgery centers in Texas for medical care provided to Blue Cross customers. Those HCA facilities include Methodist Healthcare System, the largest health care provider in San Antonio.
Friday’s negotiations marked the last encounter between Blue Cross and HCA, according to the insurance company’s statement released today. Blue Cross officials said they continued to press for reimbursement rates that will guarantee its 5 million Texas customers “cost-effective access to HCA facilities.”
Had the two sides not come to an agreement, Blue Cross would have dropped HCA’s Texas facilities from its provider network May 1 for most of its group health plans sold to employers, including the BlueChoice PPO/POS plans and the HMO Blue Texas plans. Several hundred thousand Texans are covered by those insurance plans.
Blue Cross is “gratified that HCA facilities will remain in our provider network, thus keeping our wide array of provider options intact for the benefit of our Texas members,” said Jack Towsley, BCBS of Texas’ divisional senior vice president of health care delivery, in the statement released today. “We take our role of being good stewards of our members’ health care coverage dollars very seriously and will continue to effectively manage the fees they pay when visiting health care providers in Texas.”
The verbal agreement reached late Friday afternoon would allow any Blue Cross customer covered by a BlueChoice PPO/POS plan or a HMO Blue Texas plan to continue paying in-network rates for medical care at HCA’s Texas hospitals and surgery centers.
Neither Blue Cross nor Methodist Healthcare officials speaking on behalf of HCA would answer questions regarding how long the new contract will be in place once it is signed.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas said it’s reached a verbal commitment with Hospital Corporation of America for reimbursement rates to be paid by the health insurance company to the hospital giant’s Texas facilities after their current contract expires Saturday. Methodist Healthcare System in San Antonio, which includes Methodist Hospital, is partly owned by HCA. Blue Cross and HCA are now working to formalize the verbal agreement in writing.
Health insurance company Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas confirmed today that it has reached a verbal agreement with Hospital Corporation of America that will keep the hospital giant in the insurer’s provider network after their current contract expires Saturday.
Blue Cross said it is “now working to formalize all verbal commitments agreed upon last week,” according to a statement released by the insurer late this morning.
The two sides have been at odds concerning reimbursement rates that Blue Cross would pay under a new contract with HCA’s 74 hospitals and surgery centers in Texas for medical care provided to Blue Cross customers. Those HCA facilities include Methodist Healthcare System, the largest health care provider in San Antonio.
Friday’s negotiations marked the last encounter between Blue Cross and HCA, according to the insurance company’s statement released today. Blue Cross officials said they continued to press for reimbursement rates that will guarantee its 5 million Texas customers “cost-effective access to HCA facilities.”
Had the two sides not come to an agreement, Blue Cross would have dropped HCA’s Texas facilities from its provider network May 1 for most of its group health plans sold to employers, including the BlueChoice PPO/POS plans and the HMO Blue Texas plans. Several hundred thousand Texans are covered by those insurance plans.
Blue Cross is “gratified that HCA facilities will remain in our provider network, thus keeping our wide array of provider options intact for the benefit of our Texas members,” said Jack Towsley, BCBS of Texas’ divisional senior vice president of health care delivery, in the statement released today. “We take our role of being good stewards of our members’ health care coverage dollars very seriously and will continue to effectively manage the fees they pay when visiting health care providers in Texas.”
The verbal agreement reached late Friday afternoon would allow any Blue Cross customer covered by a BlueChoice PPO/POS plan or a HMO Blue Texas plan to continue paying in-network rates for medical care at HCA’s Texas hospitals and surgery centers.
Neither Blue Cross nor Methodist Healthcare officials speaking on behalf of HCA would answer questions regarding how long the new contract will be in place once it is signed.
Date: April 25, 2016