Springfield Clinic (Ill.) alerted patients of an upcoming contract deadline with Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois, calling the thought of the insurer terminating the contract as "unimaginable."
In the letter to patients, the health system said it shares patient frustrations with the upcoming contract termination, which affects 100,000 patients, according to WCIA.
Patients of the 90-location system were first alerted of the Nov. 17 deadline in June. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois is also alerting members of the deadline.
A Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois spokesperson told Becker's that the disagreement largely stems from healthcare in Springfield costing 16 percent more than healthcare in Chicago, which has a significantly higher cost of living.
"We're diligently working with Springfield Clinic to find a solution that is in the best interest of our members," the spokesperson told Becker's. "Healthcare is deeply personal, and we know it can be difficult to have uncertainty related to our members' in-network access to Springfield Clinic. Typically, these types of discussions between insurers and health systems occur privately as part of the normal course of business. Most times these types of negotiations end up being resolved, and we hope that Springfield Clinic chooses to stay in our PPO and Blue Choice networks."