HCA Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield Georgia are currently in negotiations to renew our contract, which would enable Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield members to continue to receive in-network care at HCA Healthcare-affiliated facilities after the current contract expires on Oct. 1, 2024.
Please understand:
- Insurance contracts expire every few years, and it’s very common for an agreement to be negotiated right up to the last minute.
- Currently, we’re still in-network for all Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield products.
- If you would like to help, please reach out to Anthem at the number on the back of your insurance card and tell them that you choose to get your care at an HCA Healthcare-affiliated facility and an agreement is important to you and your family.
After Sept 30, 2024, if HCA Healthcare and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield do not reach a new contract, HCA Healthcare-affiliated facilities Memorial Satilla Health, Memorial Health University Medical Center, Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, Fairview Park Hospital and Doctors Hospital may no longer be participating providers in the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network for Commercial Managed Care, Medicare Advantage and Exchange plans.
HCA Healthcare has been negotiating a new contract with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield since December 2023, and we hope to reach an agreement prior to the expiration date. We certainly understand how unsettling this uncertainty may be for you. We want to assure you HCA Healthcare is actively negotiating in good faith to reach an agreement so you and your loved ones will continue to have convenient access to the quality care you expect at our HCA Healthcare-affiliated facilities.
If a compromise cannot be reached by Oct. 1, 2024, our facilities will no longer be part of the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield network. This means that, as an Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield member of the plans listed above, you may either not be covered for non-emergency medical services at our facilities, or you may be required to pay higher out-of-network costs for those services.
Whether or not we are able to reach an agreement with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, all patients, including those with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield coverage, are always able to receive emergency services at our hospitals.
We remain firmly dedicated to providing healthcare services to support your health and wellness.
Thank you for your understanding and for the privilege of caring for you and your family.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will my family and hospital and have access to your hospital’s emergency services?
Yes. Regardless of what happens with the negotiations, Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield members still have access to all of our facilities for emergency services. Our facilities, physicians and nurses are here for anyone who needs help in an emergency.
What will happen if an agreement is not reached?
If a new agreement is not reached by Oct. 1, 2024, then the HCA Healthcare-affiliated facilities Memorial Satilla Health, Memorial Health University Medical Center, Memorial Health Meadows Hospital, Fairview Park Hospital and Doctors Hospital in Georgia will no longer be part of the Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield provider network. This means that patients with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield may either not have coverage for non-emergency medical services at our hospitals, or Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield may require their members to pay higher out-of-network costs for those services. Emergency care, of course, is always available regardless of insurance plans.
Our primary focus is to ensure our communities have access to quality health care.
Is this just about money and profits?
No. We want to continue our relationship with Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield, but it is critical that we are able to agree on a reasonable contract that allows us to maintain access to quality care that our communities, patients, physicians, leadership and staff have come to expect from us.
Will I have to change doctors?
You will need to contact your physician’s office directly to answer that question.
Will ambulatory surgery centers be in network?
The current contract covers all of the HCA Healthcare hospitals and the ambulatory surgery centers throughout Georgia. If an agreement on a new contract is not reached before the midnight on Sept. 30, 2024 deadline, all HCA Healthcare hospitals and ambulatory surgery centers will become out of network after that date.