Under its new policy, if an out-of-network patient seeks care at a BJC facility, the health system will redirect the patient to an in-network provider. If the patient still seeks care with BJC, he or she will have to provide a “secure form” of payment upfront, such as a credit card, to receive care from a BJC facility in nonemergency situations, a BJC spokeswoman told the Post-Dispatch.
Many consumers have started purchasing health insurance plans with narrow networks in exchange for lower monthly premiums. The BJC spokeswoman told the Post-Dispatch it is “not appropriate” for a consumer to choose a plan with lower premiums and then seek care at an out-of-network hospital.
Sidney Watson, a health law professor at St. Louis University, told the Post-Dispatch that under BJC’s policy the PPO choice “becomes a loser.” “You’re picking it because it’s a PPO and you have the option [to go out-of-network] but because of BJC’s behavior you’d be shut out,” she said.
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