CHI Memorial has been asking employees, patients and the community to reach out and share their thoughts on their current situation with BlueCross. If you’ve reached out to us, we want you to know we hear you.
We understand you value CHI Memorial’s services. That’s why we’re disappointed their Chicago-based parent company, CommonSpirit, is willing to jeopardize that relationship to boost their bottom line for the second time in less than three years.
It’s important to remember how we got here.
- CHI Memorial came to us asking to terminate our contract and demanding an extraordinary rate increase, which would cause you – our members – to pay significantly more for care in 2025 and beyond.
- Considering CHI Memorial’s aggressive demands and disregard for our members’ need for affordable care, we invited qualified area providers to bid for a spot in Blue Network SSM alongside Erlanger. This allows us the opportunity to identify the best Chattanooga-area partner for Network S to maintain affordability for our members. And it gives CHI Memorial every opportunity to stay in that network if they come to the table with reasonable rates.
- We made an offer to keep CHI Memorial physicians in Network S, even if CHI Memorial’s facilities aren’t selected in the RFP process. We hope CHI Memorial will accept this offer, which would allow our members to keep their same doctors.
- This Network S decision does not impact Medicare Advantage members. CHI Memorial still has an opportunity to be in Network P, as well as our Medicare Advantage and BlueCare networks, if they meet the need for affordability.
What’s next after we make a selection for Network S?
We’re evaluating the Network S proposals from CHI Memorial and Parkridge, and we’ll announce a selection in April. (Read more about the process here.)
We share our members’ desire to avoid a disruption in care, but we need CHI Memorial’s help to do so. We still need CHI Memorial and their parent company, CommonSpirit, to deliver on their commitment to making an agreement that preserves affordability for Network P members.
But regardless of the choices CHI Memorial makes, BlueCross is committed to providing the best possible service and meeting the high standards we’ve set as a partner supporting quality, cost-effective health care for our members.
We hope that CHI Memorial and its parent company, CommonSpirit, will consider the community we all serve and come to the table with fair rates and contract terms before June 30, so we can avoid a disruption.
Learn more about CommonSpirit’s track record of taking advantage of communities like Chattanooga.
Read more about our continuity of care policy, which ensures you continue to get the care you need.