‘It’s still business:’ Florida Blue, Baptist Health each claim they are negotiating in good faith

Florida Blue insurance customers told Action News Jax they’re caught in the middle of ongoing negotiations between Florida Blue and Baptist Health.

The two companies have been negotiating a new contract for months.

>>> STREAM ACTION NEWS JAX LIVE <<<

A viewer who wanted to remain anonymous told Action News Jax that their Baptist provider called them on Thursday and said Florida Blue patients with appointments beyond September 30 either need to cancel or pay for half of their appointment by Thursday.

Action News Jax reached out to Baptist Health who told us around 4 p.m. Thursday, “That is not correct. We will send you a statement shortly with the correct messaging.”

[DOWNLOAD: Free Action News Jax app for alerts as news breaks ]

The contract expires at the end of September and on both company websites, they say they’re still negotiating in good faith, but claim that the opposing side is not.

Action News Jax spoke with Jason Mudd from Axia Public Relations about what type of message this sends.

“This is creating what I think potentially could be unnecessary concern for patients and customers of Florida Blue, simply because there’s still more time for parties to come together and come to an agreement,” he said.

[SIGN UP: Action News Jax Daily Headlines Newsletter ]

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.

“I do believe they want what’s best for community and customers, but at the end of the day, it’s still business and business has to be done and these organizations need to stay in business to provide the services they do,” Mudd said.

As of roughly 6:15 p.m., a Baptist Health spokesperson said they are still working on their statement.

Click here to download the free Action News Jax news and weather apps, click here to download the Action News Jax Now app for your smart TV and click here to stream Action News Jax live.