Michigan Medicine and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan have reached an agreement after months of negotiations that threatened to knock hundreds of thousands of Michiganders out of in-network coverage at the Ann Arbor-based health system effective June 30.
The Michigan health care giants say they will continue meeting in the coming weeks to finalize details of the new agreement, with an aim of setting June 30 as the date of the contract renewal.
Neither company said it will disclose final contract terms.
“Blue Cross is pleased to reach this long-term agreement with our partners at Michigan Medicine – ensuring continued access to the system’s medical care services for our members, while advancing the affordability of their care and coverage,” said Tricia Keith, President & CEO of BCBSM, in a statement issued Wednesday, May 27.
Dr. David Miller, executive vice president for medical affairs for University of Michigan and CEO of Michigan Medicine, said: “On behalf of our physicians, nurses and all of our team members, we are grateful to have reached an agreement that ensures continued access for our patients and for Blue Cross members across the state to the world-class care available at Michigan Medicine.”
Michigan Medicine is the academic medical center of the University of Michigan, It includes the U-M Medical School and University of Michigan Health, which includes the C.S. Mott Children’s Hospital, Von Voigtlander Women’s Hospital, University Hospital, the Frankel Cardiovascular Center, Kellogg Eye Center, University of Michigan Health-West, University of Michigan-Sparrow and the Rogel Cancer Center.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is a nonprofit company that provides health insurance benefits to more than 4.7 million Michiganders and employees of Michigan-headquartered companies living out of state.
(This story is developing.).
Contact Kristen Shamus: kshamus@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Michigan Medicine, Blue Cross reach insurance coverage deal
Reporting by Kristen Jordan Shamus, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press
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