Hospital, Insurer Contract Negotiations Raise Questions
Blue Cross of California has been involved in broken contract negotiations at seven San Diego County hospitals over the past four years, according to state records, the North County Times reports.
According to filings with the Department of Managed Health Care, Blue Cross has terminated more hospital contracts than 12 other insurers operating in the area. Blue Shield of California, an unrelated company, has been involved in 25 contract terminations over the same period, DMHC data shows.
Differences in the number of broken contracts could indicate that some health insurance companies or hospitals are "'harder to deal with' than others" and that they "routinely lowball their partners in 'take-it-or-leave-it' contract negotiations," the Times reports (Conaughton, North County Times, 3/4).