{"id":2247477,"date":"2024-05-18T12:27:02","date_gmt":"2024-05-18T16:27:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/premera-blue-cross-members-could-lose-access-to-multicare-facilities-in-two-weeks\/"},"modified":"2024-05-18T12:31:03","modified_gmt":"2024-05-18T16:31:03","slug":"premera-blue-cross-members-could-lose-access-to-multicare-facilities-in-two-weeks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/premera-blue-cross-members-could-lose-access-to-multicare-facilities-in-two-weeks\/","title":{"rendered":"In two weeks, Premera Blue Cross members may lose access to MultiCare facilities"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fpremera-blue-cross-members-could-lose-access-to-multicare-facilities-in-two-weeks%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2247477&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Washington state\u2019s Premera Blue\u2063 Cross members are at risk \u200bof \u200dlosing access\u2064 to approximately 1,000 healthcare providers statewide as the contract with MultiCare \u2063Health Systems \u200dapproaches expiration \u200cin \u200btwo\u200d weeks. \u200cDespite negotiations, MultiCare served a termination notice\u2064 to Premera. Issues regarding fair reimbursement and affordability have stalled discussions. Failure to reach an agreement\u2064 by June 1 will impact access to MultiCare facilities.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>(The Center Square)\u00a0\u2013 Washington state\u2019s Premera Blue Cross members have two weeks until a contract with MultiCare Health Systems expires, removing their access to around 1,000 health care providers statewide.<\/p>\n<p>While the two not-for-profit healthcare organizations have negotiated for months, Premera\u2019s <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/healthsource.premera.com\/your-premera-plan\/contract-negotiations-multicare-health-systems\/\">website<\/a><\/strong> says MultiCare entered the process with a termination notice. <\/p>\n<p>The Center Square reached out to MultiCare for an interview, but Kevin Maloney, media relations manager for MultiCare\u2019s Inland Northwest region, responded with an email stating that the organization is participating in negotiations but that Premera needs to pay its fair share. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cSince 2019, Premera has reimbursed MultiCare well below the rate of inflation,\u201d Maloney wrote in the email. \u201cThis is not sustainable and jeopardizes access to 1,000 health care providers and multiple hospitals, urgent cares, and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/bidens-homeland-security-department-illegal-immigrants-should-get-vaccine\/\" title=\"Biden\u2019s Homeland Security Department: Illegal Immigrants Should Get Vaccine\">health clinics<\/a> across the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>David Condon, Premera Blue Cross\u2019 vice president of Eastern Washington, said the rate being paid is what MultiCare agreed to during the last negotiations. Premera\u2019s priority is remaining affordable to its members and competitive in the market. <\/p>\n<p>He said Premera recognizes that inflation is outpacing reimbursement rates, but the negotiations aim to reach an agreement, which requires both parties. Condon was vague in describing the current status of an agreement, noting that the process is ongoing.<\/p>\n<p>According to the company\u2019s website, Premera Blue Cross members with individual plans, University of Washington student insurance and Medicare Advantage Plans will no longer have access to MultiCare facilities under in-network prices starting June 1 if the two fail to reach an agreement. <\/p>\n<p>Impacted access would include all <strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.multicare.org\/patient-resources\/billing\/insurance\/premera-blue-cross\/#pattern4_9\">MultiCare<\/a><\/strong> clinics and facilities in King, Pierce, South King, Spokane, Thurston and Yakima counties, which, according to Premera\u2019s website, include:  <\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Auburn \u2013 MultiCare Auburn Medical Center <\/li>\n<li>Covington \u2013 MultiCare Covington Medical Center <\/li>\n<li>Olympia \u2013 MultiCare Capital Medical Center <\/li>\n<li>Puyallup \u2013 MultiCare Good Samaritan Hospital <\/li>\n<li>Spokane \u2013 MultiCare Deaconess Hospital <\/li>\n<li>Spokane \u2013 MultiCare Valley Hospital  <\/li>\n<li>Spokane \u2013 Rockwood Clinic<\/li>\n<li>Tacoma \u2013 MultiCare Allenmore Hospital <\/li>\n<li>Tacoma \u2013 MultiCare Mary Bridge Children\u2019s Hospital and Health Center <\/li>\n<li>Tacoma \u2013 MultiCare Tacoma General Hospital <\/li>\n<li>Yakima \u2013 MultiCare Yakima Memorial Hospital<\/li>\n<li>Indigo Urgent Care Clinics <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>However, it would not affect members\u2019 coverage through Premera\u2019s Medicare Supplement plan or the Health Maintenance Organization plan with its Sherwood HMO network. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cOur guiding principle is to provide access to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/white-house-releases-list-of-president-trumps-accomplishments-and-it-is-historic\/\" title=\"White House Releases List of President Trump\u2019s Accomplishments \u2013  And It Is Historic!\">quality care<\/a>, which MultiCare absolutely is, but then also at an affordable price,\u201d Condon said. <\/p>\n<p>Like many businesses throughout the state, MultiCare is under significant financial pressures, he said. But by raising rates to accommodate MultiCare, the companies that pay Premera to insure their employees also end up paying more. <\/p>\n<p>Condon compared the situation to a balancing act. He said that Premera wants to meet MultiCare\u2019s needs but must also ensure its members\u2019 costs remain predictable. <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThey\u2019ve been pretty public about what their costs are,\u201d Condon said. \u201cNow the issue is what\u2019s fair for them and what\u2019s fair for our members who have to pay that price.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He said that if negotiations fail, Premera members can still <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/indonesia-suffers-oxygen-shortage-amid-covid-19-surge\/\" title=\"Indonesia suffers oxygen shortage amid COVID-19 surge\">receive emergency care<\/a> at MultiCare facilities, which is always covered at the in<a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-announces-sweeping-bidenomics-plan-to-reduce-healthcare-costs\/\" title=\"Biden unveils bold 'Bidenomics' strategy to cut healthcare expenses.\">-network cost<\/a>. Members who are pregnant or receiving active treatment can also apply for extended in-network access to avoid any lapse in coverage. <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Washington state\u2019s Premera Blue Cross members face potential loss of access to about 1,000 health care providers statewide as the contract with MultiCare Health Systems nears expiration in two weeks. Despite prolonged negotiations between the two healthcare organizations, Premera indicates that MultiCare initiated the termination process<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2247478,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24109662434793-1024x683.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2247477","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/04\/AP24109662434793-1024x683.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247477","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2247477"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2247477\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2247478"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2247477"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2247477"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2247477"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}