Anthem Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Missouri could exclude St. Louis-based BJC HealthCare from the narrow provider network it plans to operate both in and outside of the state health insurance exchange established under the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, local health brokers and consultants have told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
Health broker Vincent Blair told the Post-Dispatch Anthem plans to exclude BJC — the
Anthem representatives have said they are committed to keeping costs as low as possible for individual coverage through the narrow network, which would require excluding BJC, Paul Flotken, a managing partner of St. Louis-based health benefits consulting firm Caravus, told the Post-Dispatch.
Anthem is still awaiting some final approvals for its health policies, according to a written statement spokeswoman Kim Ashley issued to the Post-Dispatch. Anthem representatives have met with brokers and consultants in the area to discuss the basic elements of their individual policies but haven't shared details such as prices for consumers, according to the report. BJC Healthcare President and CEO Steven Lipstein was traveling and unavailable for comment.
Federal officials plan to announce details such as which health insurers will participate in the exchange and their provider networks on or before Oct. 1, according to the report.
Anthem is launching new, narrow-network insurance plans in other states such as Maine and New Hampshire. The proposed plans in both states have drawn criticism from policymakers and excluded providers, who say the narrow networks could limit access to care.
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