By Claude Solnik
6/21/18
Long Island Business News
Around 200 patients, Empire BlueCross Blue Shield members, elected officials and union leaders today at a rally called on Empire BlueCross to reach a deal to provide in-network services through South Nassau Communities Hospital.
The rally was in front of South Nassau, a 455-bed hospital in Oceanside that has been negotiating new reimbursement rates with Empire BlueCross, which it says is reimbursing it far less than some other hospitals.
Empire BlueCross members will not be able to access non-emergency care at South Nassau at in-network rates as of July 1 if a deal is not reached.
“At Empire BlueCross and BlueShield of New York, our consumers are our number one priority,” an Empire BlueCross spokeswoman said. “There is no immediate change to healthcare coverage for our consumers as we are continuing to negotiate to reach an agreement that would enable South Nassau Communities Hospital to remain part of Empire’s care provider network and protects affordability for our consumers.
Other hospitals in Nassau County receive as much as 40 percent more than South Nassau to treat the same medical conditions, according to the hospital.