FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
February 8, 2023
CONTACT:
Rachel Powers Doyle
Cell: (270) 454-1091
Methodist Le Bonheur HealthcareReaches Agreement on BlueCare and TennCare plansNegotiations continue for BlueCross employer-based and Marketplace plans
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Today, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare announced it has reached an agreement regarding certain BlueCare Tennessee plans.BlueCare Tennessee, TennCare Select, CoverKids and Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) members will again receive in-network coverage at Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare facilities, including Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital. These changes are effective immediately.
“Providing the safest and highest quality care to our community, especially our most vulnerable patients, remains our top priority,” said Michael Ugwueke, president and CEO of MLH. “This agreement, while a major step forward, represents a fraction of what we can accomplish when insurance companies put the interests of their patients first. We look forward to continued negotiations to return insurance coverage to all of the BCBST members we are so privileged to serve.”
TennCare covers healthcare services for mostly low-income pregnant women, parents or caregivers of minor children, as well as children and individuals who are elderly or have a disability.
Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare leaders continue to strive for a reasonable agreement with BCBST, while it continues its gamesmanship, catching patients in the middle. Its claims of relying on other facilities for care are not working. This is one of the reasons we pushed for this agreement with TennCare and BlueCare, to help alleviate the burden on those we serve.
The fact is, BCBST does not have a sufficient network capable of handling the volume of patients that MLH hospitals treat in our community.
While we are delighted to get this accomplished on behalf of TennCare patients, we will continue to fight for the interest of the thousands of BCBST patients in our community who remain out of network.
About Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare
Based in Memphis, Tennessee, Methodist Le Bonheur Healthcare has been caring for patients and families regardless of their ability to pay for more than 100 years. Guided by roots in the United Methodist Church and founded in 1918 to help meet the growing need for quality healthcare in the greater Memphis area, MLH has grown from one hospital into a comprehensive healthcare system with 13,000 Associates supporting six hospitals, including nationally ranked Le Bonheur Children’s Hospital, ambulatory surgery centers, outpatient facilities, hospice residence and physician and specialty practices serving communities across the Mid-South. From transplants and advanced heart procedures to expert neurology services and compassionate cancer care, MLH offers clinical expertise with a focus on improving every life we touch.
