One of Northeast Florida’s largest health systems and one of the state’s largest health insurance companies are re-negotiating their contract and it hasn’t been a smooth process so far.
If Baptist Health and Florida Blue can’t reach an agreement, patients would suddenly be out of network, and the switch could make their cost of care unaffordable.
Action News Jax spoke to a Baptist Health patient who has lived in Atlantic Beach for about 15 years, and Baptist Medical Center Beaches is the closest hospital to her.
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“We love our community, and we love our doctors,” said Amy Smith.
Smith is one of many Northeast Florida patients caught up in the middle of a battle between Florida Blue and Baptist Health.
“We are like stuck in a poker game,” said Smith. “We are just the chips in a poker game, people’s lives are at stake here.”
Time is of the essence because the deadline is approaching for the two companies to reach a contract agreement. They’ve been negotiating since the spring.