Projo 7 to 7 News Blog

By Felice J. Freyer
Journal medical writer

Blue Cross subscribers don't need to worry about whether they'll be able to use Care New England hospitals -- at least not until March 31, 2009.

The hospital group and the insurer announced late this afternoon that they've agreed to extend the contract three months past its expiration on Dec. 31, to give them more time to resolve their differences. That means that Blue Cross members will continue to have access to Care New England hospitals and home-health services in the same way they do now, even if the contract dispute isn't resolved by the end of the year.

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and Care New England have been unable to agree on how much the insurer should reimburse the hospitals for care provided to Blue Cross members. Care New England includes Women & Infants, Butler and Kent hospitals.

The dispute went public when Care New England informed doctors, patients and others that they may not be able to use Care New England services after Dec. 31 if an agreement isn't reached. For most Blue Cross subscribers, that would mean paying the hospital for services and seeking reimbursement from Blue Cross.

But both sides have acknowledged that they need each other and intend to eventually get a contract.

In a joint statement issued this afternoon, Blue Cross President and CEO James E. Purcell and Care New England President and CEO John J. Hynes said: "We hope today's announcement will calm concerns regarding this situation. We see the extension as an important step toward reaching a new agreement that will enable CNE to remain in the BCBSRI network for the long term, which has been the goal from the very beginning."

 Tags  health insurance hospitals

Leave a comment

Please be civil. Vicious comments, personal attacks and profanity won't be published. Name and email are required; email address will not publish.

Name:

Email:

URL:  

Remember personal info?

Captcha:

Type the characters you see in the picture above.