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Background

Florida Blue and Baptist Health are in contract negotiations, which will determine if this hospital/physician/clinical group and its many service locations across Northeast Florida remain in Florida Blue’s network of participating providers. The Florida Blue team is working hard on this matter and negotiating in good faith to reach a resolution as part of our deep commitment to the people of our community. 

We want to assure you, the community and our members — individuals, families, seniors, businesses large and small, as well as our sales and other partners — that we are doing everything we can to try and resolve this situation. Our goal is to reach a fair agreement that preserves access to affordable, in-network care without raising health care costs for our members.

While Baptist Health has been a longstanding provider partner, the group is demanding double-digit annual rate increases that are well above inflation. These increases would add up, over the next five years, to hundreds of millions of dollars. This burden would be passed onto the community and our members – many of whom are already struggling financially. If an agreement is not reached, Baptist Health would become an out-of-network provider beginning October 1, 2024.

 

Additional Information Regarding Negotiations with Baptist Health

Baptist Health operates more than 40 locations across Northeast Florida including hospitals, emergency rooms, imaging centers, labs, primary and specialty care, and other facilities.

Florida Blue has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Baptist Health, and we have been negotiating as part of our normal contract renewal process.

Each year, we successfully complete negotiations with providers and facilities throughout Florida with no interruptions to care and that do not result in unfair cost increases for members. So far in 2024, we have reached long-term agreements with many other providers – agreements that are in the best interest of both sides, keep them in our network, and maintain affordable health care costs for our members.  

Under the terms of the current contract, Baptist Health has received consistent annual payment increases for many years. The new contract terms we are proposing for Baptist Health are also fair, market competitive, consider inflation, and account for rising labor costs. Other hospitals across Florida are facing these same pressures and we have successfully worked through those challenges to reach fair agreements.

Florida Blue, deeply rooted in Jacksonville, is offering competitive market rate increases to keep Baptist Health in network. In contrast, Baptist Health is demanding excessive rate increases well above the rate of inflation and contract terms that could result in significant increases in care costs for our members and the communities we both serve – increases that add up, over the next five years, to hundreds of millions of dollars.

Baptist Health’s rate demands and refusal to discuss reasonable terms do not reflect “good faith” negotiations – and hardly the actions of a mission-based organization.

It would be irresponsible for us to agree to contract terms like those Baptist Health is proposing, as it would result in passing along these large increases to our members, many of whom are already struggling financially.

Negotiating contracts is standard industry practice and our goal is to achieve fair terms that are agreeable and sustainable for both sides.

Florida Blue is committed to making health care simpler, more accessible, and affordable for everyone amidst rising costs for businesses, individuals, and families. We remain hopeful we can agree on terms with Baptist Health that support our continued commitment to provide the residents of northeast Florida with affordable, quality health care, as we have in the past.

If we are unable to reach an agreement with Baptist Health, its hospitals, service locations, physicians and other clinicians and locations will no longer be in the Florida Blue provider networks beginning October 1, 2024.

We remain at the negotiating table seeking reasonable terms from Baptist Health. If they do not agree to a fair arrangement, our provider network is ready, willing, and able to help support members who are impacted as part of our commitment to provide access to quality, affordable health care services for individuals and businesses in our community and all Floridians.

To help educate individual and group members about the contract negotiations process and provide greater transparency, we have developed informational tools that highlight how we regularly work with doctors, pharmacies and other health care facilities and providers, advocating in the best interest of the communities we serve. To learn more, please visit FloridaBlue.com/Networks.

Here are answers to some questions you may have about the current contract negotiations between Florida Blue and Baptist Health

Yes, and we value our relationship with Baptist Health. We hope to reach a fair and sustainable agreement before September 30, 2024, that is beneficial to our members and the communities we both serve. 

  • The rate increases that Baptist Health is requesting would drive up the cost of health care and insurance for our customers and the communities we both serve across Florida. In contrast, we are confident the contract terms we are proposing are fair and competitive and remain hopeful that Baptist Health decides to remain in our network.
  • Unlike publicly traded insurance companies, Florida Blue is part of a not-for-profit mutual holding company, which means we place the interests of our members first and are dedicated to helping people and communities achieve better health.  
  • Florida Blue has proudly served the diverse needs of all 67 counties in Florida for the last 80 years. To ensure affordable, accessible, quality health care for members like you, we are obligated to negotiate with providers, on your behalf, to manage rising health care costs and keep the system equitable and sustainable.

Baptist Health hospitals, physicians, and many other clinical locations will be out of network for all services if an agreement is not reached by September 30, 2024.  As required by Federal and State law, emergency services and care are covered even at out-of-network facilities.

You can easily find other in-network hospitals, physician, and clinical sites in your area by logging into your member account at FloridaBlue.com. From the top navigation, click Find & Get Care then My Care Team. Your currently assigned primary care doctor will be displayed. To update, click Update My PCP. You can also find an update a provider from the Florida Blue mobile app.

If you need help finding a physician or service location to suit your needs, please call the number located on the back of your member ID card or visit the Florida Blue Center nearest to you for face-to-face support. More than half of Floridians live within 10 miles of a Florida Blue Center.

Yes. If necessary medical services are provided at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, they will be covered by all Florida Blue health plans.

Nemours Children’s Health is an independent physician group and will remain in-network even if an agreement is not reached with Baptist Health. Therefore, all visits and procedures performed in the Nemours Children’s Health offices will remain in network. If a Nemours Children’s Health physician admits a Florida Blue member to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for inpatient or outpatient services, necessary medical services will be covered by all Florida Blue health plans. 

More than 50,000 Florida Blue members have gone to Baptist Health for services in the last six months and will receive an upcoming notification about this matter. Approximately 600,000 Florida Blue members across the region would be impacted should Baptist Health choose to leave the network, because they would no longer be able to access Baptist Health physicians or facilities.

As we work to negotiate a new agreement, we have a valid contract with Baptist Health that remains in effect through October 1, 2024. We have contacted Baptist Health to ensure that our members are able to keep and make upcoming appointments — to see their medical teams over the next few weeks as we work to try and resolve this matter before the October 1 deadline. Our goal remains to reach an agreement that preserves access to affordable care and minimizes disruptions for our members.

Yes. The in-network status of all Baptist Health hospitals, physicians, clinicians, and service locations will be affected if an agreement is not reached. If you are unsure whether a particular provider could be affected, please contact us by calling the number located on the back of your member ID card.

If you choose an out-of-network provider for services, you will normally have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, which could include billed charges. You can look up details specific to your plan by logging in to your member account on FloridaBlue.com.

Some members affected by these possible network changes who are in active treatment or pregnant can continue to receive services with the same benefits and cost sharing even if Baptist Health chooses to exit our network. This is called continuity of care. For more details about continuity of care, please call the member services phone number located on the back of your Florida Blue member ID card.

While our goal is to keep Baptist Health in network, we do have a robust network of quality providers across the region and we are confident that all of our members in Northeast Florida will be able to access the care they need.

To find other physicians in your area, please check the Florida Blue online provider directory or call the number located on the back of your Florida Blue member ID card.

We are ready to help. Just call us at the number located on the back of your Florida Blue member ID card and we will work with you to identify a new care team.

To help educate individual and group members about the contract negotiations process, we have developed informational tools that highlight how we regularly work with doctors, pharmacies and other health care facilities and providers, advocating in the best interest of the communities we serve. To learn more, please visit FloridaBlue.com/Networks.

While Baptist Health has been a longstanding provider partner, the group is demanding excessive rate increases that are well above inflation. These increases would add up, over the next five years, to hundreds of millions of dollars.

The rate increases that Baptist Health is requesting would drive up the cost of health care and insurance for our customers and the communities we both serve across Florida. In contrast, we are confident the contract terms we are proposing are fair and competitive and remain hopeful that Baptist Health decides to remain in our network.

Florida Blue has proudly served the diverse needs of all 67 counties in Florida for the last 80 years. To ensure affordable, accessible, quality health care for members like you, we are obligated to negotiate with providers, on your behalf, to manage rising health care costs and keep the system equitable and sustainable.

To support the well-being of our community and the affordability of our local health care, we ask you to contact Baptist Health and express your concern. Urge them to join Florida Blue at the table and reach an agreement that is in the best interest of the residents of northeast Florida.