NCH Healthcare System Is At Risk Of Becoming Out Of Network With Florida Blue Health Insurance
Florida Blue, a subsidiary of Blue Cross Blue Shield, is alerting its policy holders that they have been unable to reach an agreement with NCH Hospital and NCH Physicians Groups. The health insurance giant and the largest provider of medical services in Collier County have until September 30th to reach a new hospital-insurer agreement. If an agreement cannot be reached by that date, all serviced rendered by The NCH Healthcare System will become out of network. This will affect tens of thousands of residents of Naples, its surrounding communities, and Collier County, Florida.
According To A Statement Given By Florida Blue:
“We are currently in negotiations and doing everything we can to reach in agreement with NCH to avoid healthcare disruption for our members and keep the area's healthcare as affordable as possible. NCH continues to demand excessive rates without a commitment to improve the efficiency of care, which would only result in higher costs for those in the community, many of whom already struggling financially.”
NCH posted a statement on their website that Florida Blue (a licensee of Blue Cross Blue Shield) “significantly underpaid NCH compared to other hospitals and providers” in Southwest Florida. The hospital system also wrote, “Florida Blue threatens the ability for patients and families to have local access to essential and critical care” without a fair agreement.
A Statement by NCH further stated that:
“if an agreement is not made by September 30, 2024, it is likely that Florida Blue will force NCH out of network. This means you and your family could face higher out of pocket costs, lose your trusted doctors and possibly have to travel out of our community for critical care services.”
This change would affect both NCH Health Care System and NCH Medical Group. These are the two largest providers of medical services in Collier County. NCH Healthcare is an alliance of more than 700 independent physicians and medical facilities in Collier County in Southwest Florida. NCH Medical Group is the largest physician group in Collier County, with over 250 board certified physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants. NCH Medical Group has more than 40 locations and 15 different specialties.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Florida and its subsidiaries are the largest health insurer in Florida, providing health insurance to over 46% of Florida residents. This change would affect over 40,000 patients in our area.
A similar contract dispute is currently happening with Baptist Healthcare patients in Northeast Florida. Florida Blue has also advised patients in the Jacksonville area that their coverage within this network would be affected if an agreement is not reached by September 30, 2024.
Pittman Law Firm PL is closely monitoring this situation and will keep you informed of any developments that occur. A webpage has been set up by Florida Blue to provide additional information and the latest news regarding this situation. NCH has also set up a webpage called Stand With NCH to provide information regarding this situation. It provides policyholders with a petition that you can sign, links, and telephone numbers that the policyholders use to contact Florida Blue to ask questions and provide feedback on how these changes would affect them.
Pittman Law Firm, PL has offices located in Bonita Springs and Fort Myers, Florida. We provide personal representation to people all over Southwest Florida who have been injured in accidents. If you need assistance with any insurance related claim, please call us today!
