Blue Cross Blue Shield drops OSF hospitals, adds Methodist
As of
But, also beginning
While
"We've been expecting this for some time. We've been working on it, hoping for it," Knepp said at an afternoon news conference. "We didn't know when the timing would come about, but we're very pleased the timing is now."
Other
The change is the latest twist in the long-running competition between the area's two major health-care providers.
In 2013, what then was
A federal appellate court ruled in OSF's favor in June. The court found no evidence of anti-trust violations.
Insurers typically negotiate rates and price structures with health-care providers.
"We negotiated a rate with
But with its major facilities no longer in the
"We felt that they had backed us into a corner," he said during a late-morning news conference at Spalding Pastoral Center. "We were quite surprised by their termination of our facilities."
The insurance company didn't cite a reason for the move, according to Billings. But he said
In a statement the
"Our current PPO and BlueChoice contracts (with OSF) ... no longer serve BCBSIL's aim to continue to broaden our members' access to network providers and further enhance our network and product offerings," the insurance company stated.
"Our mission is to continue to provide access to quality, cost-effective health care in
The Blue Cross termination includes that entity's insurance plans based in other states but applies only to OSF hospitals, Billings said. OSF non-hospital facilities, including physicians and cardiovascular and neurological institutes, are not affected.
OSF hospitals still will treat
"They're certainly the largest payer in the
"Hopefully, (
Representatives of both sides stated they're open to continuing contract discussions.
Other affected OSF hospitals include
The OSF hospital in
___
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