THURSDAY TOP NEWS LINKS:
The business of health-care again leads our links as hundreds of thousands of Houstonians come under threat of loosing their coverage. The heart of the matter rests in a contract dispute between the city’s leading health care provider, Memorial-Hermann Hospital System, and a leading insurer, Blue Cross/Blue Shield of Texas.
Video: BCBS vs Memorial Hermann
(KRIV 26 News)
Todd Ackerman, Houston Chronicle
[…] Memorial Hermann’s participation in Blue Cross provider networks will end July 1 unless the two can reach an agreement, Bert Marshall, the company’s president, wrote in a post card that began arriving in mailboxes Monday. The two have been in contract negotiations for the past several months, Marshall wrote.
“We are disappointed that our longstanding relationship with Memorial Hermann may soon end,” says a statement on Blue Cross’ website. “It remains our desire to keep the health system as part of the BCBS of Texas provider network.”
The statement said if an agreement can’t be reached, Blue Cross Blue Shield’s “priority will be to transition our members to other quality, in-network providers.” It said Blue Cross Blue Shield’s network of hospitals and physicians remains “strong.”
The post card was mailed to comply with 30-day notice-of-termination requirements in the contract.
A Memorial Hermann statement said that the system wishes to maintain the relationship, but noted “it has worked very hard over the past years to create high quality, cost effective care” and said “any agreement must embrace our clinically integrated care structure and provide appropriate reimbursement for our services.” […]
(Read more of this story at Chron.com)
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