Negotiations between Florida Blue and Baptist Health are at an impasse as the current contract expires at midnight on Tuesday.
Both parties were at the negotiating table on Monday before the deadline.
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In a statement, Baptist Health said: “With time still on the clock, Baptist Health remains actively engaged in good faith negotiations with Florida Blue. Our current contract runs until midnight tonight. We believe a fair agreement is possible to ensure our patients continue to have uninterrupted access to the high-quality care they deserve.”
Florida Blue said: “Florida Blue continues to negotiate in good faith today, ahead of the 11:59 PM deadline. Florida Blue’s goal remains to reach an agreement that keeps Baptist in-network without any disruption to care for our members, ensuring healthcare remains as affordable as possible for Northeast Florida.”
With time running out, patients, including most of Jacksonville’s first responders, are caught in the middle.
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“We hope they don’t turn their backs on us,” said Randy Wyse, executive director of the Jacksonville Police Officers and Firefighters Health Insurance Trust. “We really stressed to both sides: come to an agreement so that we don’t put more pressure on our public response people than they already do.”
More than 2,000 Jacksonville officers and firefighters are members of Florida Blue and attend Baptist Health. The city of Jacksonville is the largest local employer with more than 10,000 employees enrolled in Florida Blue.
Many could be looking for new care as the contract between the two organizations is about to expire.
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If an agreement is not reached by midnight, some patients may still be covered by Continuity of Care. This means that in-network rates will remain in effect for up to six months for those who are already seeing a Baptist doctor for serious conditions or if you are pregnant.
The standoff concerns how much Florida will reimburse Blue Baptist and its physicians. The health care system says it is asking for rate increases that would offset the rapid growth in medical inflation which they say has not been paid for years.
Florida Blue said the deal is unfair and would generate more than $1 billion in new spending over the next five years. The insurance company said the counteroffer will raise hundreds of millions over the next few years.
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