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The latest

Time is running out. If an agreement is not reached, Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) will become an out-of-network provider beginning October 1, 2024. Florida Blue remains committed to negotiating in good faith and we are doing everything possible to ensure uninterrupted care for our members.

 

Hear directly from Florida Blue’s West Florida Market President, Phil Lee, on how we are working to keep your health care costs from rising out of control.

Read Phil’s open letter to the Southwest Florida community on how we’re negotiating for fair rates for you and asking NCH to do their part in addressing the rising cost of health care services and improving the quality and care experience they deliver to our members.

Open letter to the Southwest Florida community

What's at stake

Affordable health care costs

Uniterrupted care for our members

Access to NCH doctors, hospitals, and care teams

A fair agreement for everyone — most of all the community

Our goal is a resolution

Our goal is a future that includes Naples Comprehensive Health in our network — a fair agreement that preserves access to affordable, in-network care without raising health care costs for our members.

Unfortunately, NCH leaders recently told the media that they would prefer to exit the Florida Blue network rather than resolve this situation by accepting our offer of increased rates. 

Why it matters

Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is a cornerstone of health care in Collier County. Being a primary and essential provider comes with the responsibility to accept reasonable market appropriate payment for services and ensure patient care is not compromised or interrupted. 

While the situation has escalated, this is the normal contract renewal process between Florida Blue and Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) — which will determine if NCH’s hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians and other clinicians, and its other service locations across Southwest Florida remain in Florida Blue’s network of participating providers. 

Despite our longstanding partnership, Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is demanding excessive rate increases which would substantially increase the costs our members pay for care.

Setting the record straight

Contrary to what you may hear from Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), Florida Blue has repeatedly offered them reasonable rate increases.

What’s more, we’re offering them additional revenue through pay-for-performance terms — which simply means compensating Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) for keeping patients healthier versus being paid by the number of patients they see.

  • Pay-for-performance terms are common in the industry and reward health systems with additional revenue for improving the quality and efficiency in how they deliver care; and how they engage with and help members receive the care they need. Florida Blue has proposed performance-based metrics consistent with the health outcomes measured by the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS).

Affordability is the number one issue in health care for Floridians, and it is critical that Naples Comprehensive Health — as the main health system in the area — work with us to keep costs down.

NCH’s rate demands are well above inflation and agreeing to their terms would be irresponsible and significantly drive-up costs for our members in Southwest Florida, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

Protecting members is our priority

Florida Blue is advocating for individuals, families, businesses, and seniors — to protect our members and the community from the burden of unnecessary and substantial increases in health care costs and to keep you with the local doctors, hospitals and care teams you want.

We will continue to work towards an agreement that provides uninterrupted care and is beneficial to the health and well-being of Floridians that Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and Florida Blue both serve.

About NCH

Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is a large integrated health system in Collier County, operating more than 30 locations across Southwest Florida and employing more than 650 primary care and specialty physicians.

Their locations include two (2) hospitals (Naples Community Hospital and North Naples Hospital), two (2) free-standing emergency departments, several outpatient specialty centers, ten (10) imaging centers, and a surgery center. Florida Blue has enjoyed a longstanding relationship with Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), and we have been negotiating as part of our normal contract renewal process.

Protecting pregnant moms

It is disheartening that Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) has attempted to scare pregnant mothers, with its recent ads, regarding their ability to deliver at Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) — going as far as to share pictures of pregnancy tests and infant onesies overlaid with alarming messages on social media.

Rather than upset expecting moms, we must work together to ensure they’re protected.

Florida Blue is committed to ensuring that OB-GYN/Labor and Delivery services remain open for our members and to ensure those services are covered as they always have been. Our expectation is that NCH will not turn away Florida Blue members accessing these critical services.

Our commitment to Southwest Florida

Advocating on your behalf: Negotiating contracts is standard industry practice.

Each year, Florida Blue successfully completes negotiations with providers and facilities throughout the state with no interruptions to care. So far in 2024, we have already reached long-term agreements with many other providers — agreements that are in the best interest of both sides, keeping them in our network, and maintaining affordable health care costs for our members.  

Florida Blue is committed to making health care simpler, more accessible, and affordable for everyone amidst rising costs for businesses, individuals, and families.

We remain hopeful we can agree on terms with Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) that support our continued commitment to provide the residents of Southwest Florida with affordable, quality health care, as we have in the past.

Protecting continuity of care

Bottom line: If we are unable to reach an agreement with Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH), its hospitals, emergency rooms, physicians, and other clinicians and its many service locations will no longer be in the Florida Blue provider networks beginning October 1, 2024. 

There are state and federal protections, called Continuity of Care, which cover pregnant mothers and others undergoing active treatment. If an agreement is not reached by September 30, these provisions immediately take effect for a specified period of time and ensure that members can access their providers at the same in-network rates and member responsibilities as required by applicable law

Transparency and education

To help educate individual and group members about the contract negotiations process and provide greater transparency, we have developed informational tools that highlight how we regularly work with doctors, pharmacies, and other health care facilities and providers, advocating in the best interest of the communities we serve.

Learn more about network negotiations

Key questions and answers

Yes, Florida Blue and Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) are in contract negotiations. We hope to reach a fair agreement before September 30, 2024.

Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and Florida Blue have entered numerous contract renewal negotiations during our longstanding relationship. Unfortunately, because Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) is demanding excessive annual rate increases that are well above inflation, we have not reached agreement.   Agreeing to their terms would be irresponsible and significantly drive-up costs for our members in Southwest Florida, many of whom are already struggling to make ends meet.

Unlike publicly traded insurance companies, Florida Blue is part of a mission driven company that places the interests of our members and customers first. Access to affordable health insurance is critical to our mission of helping people and communities achieve better health.

Naples Comprehensive Health hospitals, physicians and other clinicians and its other service locations will be out of network for all services if an agreement is not reached by October 1, 2024. 

If you are unsure whether a particular provider could be affected, please contact us by calling the number located on the back of your member ID card. 

  • As required by Federal and State law, emergency services and care are covered even at out-of-network facilities.
  • Even if Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) chooses to exit the network, some impacted members who are undergoing treatment or pregnant can continue receiving care from their current provider with the same benefits and cost share. 

If an agreement is not reached, and I need to find a new provider, what do I do?
You can easily find and choose other in-network hospitals, physician, or clinical sites in your area by logging into your member account at FloridaBlue.com. From the top navigation, click Find & Get Care then My Care Team. 

My Care Team will display your new assigned physician if your current assigned primary care doctor is with Naples Comprehensive Health.

If you wish to change to your assigned physician, click Update My PCP. You can also find and update your provider in our Florida Blue mobile app.

Or, if you need help selecting a physician or service location to suit your needs, please call the number located on the back of your member ID card so we can help or visit the Florida Blue Center nearest to you for face-to-face support. More than half of Floridians live within 10 miles of a Florida Blue Center.

Yes. If you choose an out-of-network provider for services, you will normally have to pay higher out-of-pocket costs, which could include the full cost of your care. You can look up details specific to your plan by logging in to your member account on FloridaBlue.com.

Florida Blue is committed to ensuring that OB-GYN/Labor and Delivery services remain open for our members and to ensure those services are covered as they always have been. Our expectation is that Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) will not turn away Florida Blue members accessing these critical services.

Some members who are currently receiving treatment or pregnant can continue to receive services with the same benefits and cost sharing even if Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) chooses to exit our network. For more details about Continuity of Care, please call the member services phone number located on the back of your Florida Blue member ID card.   

Pregnant mothers and people undergoing active treatment have additional state and federal protections under Continuity of Care guidelines that immediately take effect for a specified period of time if an agreement is not reached by September 30. These laws are to ensure that members can access their providers at the same in-network rates and member benefit responsibility.

We have spoken with Naples Comprehensive Health (NCH) and they agree to ensure that our members are able to keep and make upcoming appointments — to see their medical teams over the next few weeks as we work to try and resolve this matter before the October 1 deadline. Our goal remains to reach an agreement that preserves access to affordable care and minimizes disruptions for our members.

To find other physicians in your area, please check the Florida Blue online provider directory or call the number located on the back of your Florida Blue member ID card.

We have a robust network of quality providers across the region, and we are confident that all members in the area will be able to access the care they need.

To help educate individual and group members about the contract negotiations process, we have developed informational tools that highlight how we regularly work with doctors, pharmacies, and other health care facilities and providers, advocating in the best interest of the communities we serve. To learn more, please visit FloridaBlue.com/Networks.