Blue Cross Blue Shield Plan News Roundup: February 2024

The following Blue Cross Blue Shield announcements are just a few of the company activities from this month.

AMI offers continuing market research services to clients on Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans as well as publishing an annual Blue Cross Blue Shield Plans Report that provides comprehensive profiles on each of the 34 BSBS plans as well as the BCBSA organization.

Anthem Blue Cross and the University of California have reached a preliminary contract agreement that both sides say should allow patients to continue seeing their current doctors. An estimated 600,000 patients at university health systems statewide are affected by the announcement that UC called “preliminary” and Anthem said is an agreement “in principle,” which still must be finalized. Anthem has once again extended the current contract between the two parties, pushing its expiration date to April 1. It was set to expire on March 1. That date was itself an extension. The contract was originally set to end on Dec. 31, 2023.

St. Peter’s Health Partners and Anthem Blue Cross in New York (formerly Empire BlueCross) announced a new, multi-year provider network agreement. The agreement secures long-term access to affordable healthcare for St. Peter’s Health Partners patients covered by Anthem health plans. As part of the agreement, the two organizations will accelerate their collaboration on several innovative initiatives, including advance data connectivity and value-based care (VBC) models designed to improve health outcomes and better control costs for care for St. Peter’s Health Partners patients covered by Anthem health plans. St. Peter’s Health Partners and Anthem will incorporate Epic Payer Platform into regular operations, a technology that will streamline secure patient data flow between the organizations, bolster operational efficiency, accelerate approval processes, and improve patient outcomes.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana will not go through with a reorganization plan that would have put the company in the hands of Elevance Health, a private, shareholder-owned company. In a brief statement, Deputy Commissioner John Ford said Blue Cross notified the state insurance department late Tuesday evening it had chosen to withdraw its reorganization plan. Some 1.9 million Louisiana residents, or roughly 40%, have their health coverage through Blue Cross.

Rolling layoffs that Elevance Health quietly kicked off in September have continued into this year, according to a notice the health insurer filed with the state of Michigan last month. It’s not yet clear how many workers Elevance is laying off overall, but thousands of employees in multiple states have been let go to date, according to several sources familiar with the matter who spoke to Healthcare Dive. The sources, who requested anonymity to discuss sensitive matters, said the layoffs could be affecting as many as 10,000 employees or more.

Florida Blue, the state’s leading health insurance provider, and Sanitas Medical Center (Sanitas) have opened an innovative primary care health center in Jacksonville focused on supporting the area’s Florida Blue members who are 50+ and Medicare members of all ages in achieving their health and well-being goals. Though Sanitas and Florida Blue have collaborated to provide primary care since 2015, the innovative Jacksonville location is their first center in northeast Florida. The center’s comprehensive and high-touch care model brings together the primary care services adults need in one convenient location.

Philadelphia Union and Independence Blue Cross (IBX), announced a multiyear renewal of their successful decade-long partnership. Notably, under the renewal, IBX becomes the first official sleeve-patch partner for the Union. IBX first became a partner during the Union’s second season in 2011, and is also a proud partner of the Eagles, 76ers, Phillies, and Flyers.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts announced a new suite of offerings, including a new clinical team and expanded care options, to ensure that women have access to the high-quality care and resources they need to feel supported throughout their life. Blue Cross’ new Reproductive Health Care team gives Blue Cross members access to personalized support options and resources for a variety of women’s health issues, including supporting diverse families embarking on their parenthood journey. The multidisciplinary support team is led by an OB/GYN physician, and includes other women’s health clinicians.