Empire BlueCross Members Rally to Support South Nassau

OCEANSIDE, N.Y. - June 22, 2018 - PRLog -- Patients, members of Empire BlueCross Blue Shield, elected officials and union leaders today called on Empire BlueCross to stop putting profits over patients so tens of thousands of local residents can continue to access medical services at South Nassau Communities Hospital.

Empire BlueCross has refused to provide South Nassau with a fair reimbursement rate – similar to what it pays other Nassau County hospitals for the same services – so its nurses and physicians can continue to provide quality care to some 900,000 residents in its service area on the South Shore.

If the health insurance conglomerate does not change its position in contract talks with South Nassau, Empire BlueCross members, including thousands of current and retired government employees, will not be able to access non-emergency care at South Nassau as of July 1^st.

"We are asking for parity with what Empire BlueCross pays other hospitals. In some instances, BlueCross is paying nearby hospitals as much as 40 percent more for the same procedure," said Richard J. Murphy, president and CEO of South Nassau. "A fair reimbursement rate from BlueCross will allow South Nassau to properly compensate our nursing, physician and support staff so they can continue to provide the kind of quality care our patients expect."

Local elected officials joined the rally. "For-profit health insurance giants, like Anthem BlueCross, are earning record profits while non-profit hospitals across the country are struggling to keep their doors open. It's time we held them accountable! South Nassau is our community hospital with a commitment to meet the healthcare needs of the over 900,000 residents that it serves, including many of my constituents. I fully support them in their fight and urge Blue Cross to give South Nassau a fair reimbursement rate," said Nassau County Legislator Denise Ford.
Town of Hempstead Councilman Anthony D'Esposito added: "In the interest of my constituents - many who are hard-working members of the Town of Hempstead CSEA 880 - I urge the leadership of Empire Blue Cross Blue Shield to end the impasse and provide South Nassau a fair reimbursement rate to ensure that the residents of the South Shore experience no disruption in accessing the quality healthcare services that they deserve and need."

Following months of fruitless negotiations, South Nassau's contract with BlueCross expired May 1, 2018.  At the end of a 60 day cooling off period, South Nassau will be 'out of network' with Empire BlueCross unless a new agreement is reached starting July 1.

If an agreement is not reached on or before July 1, people insured by Empire BCBS and who rely on South Nassau for healthcare services could face higher out-of-pocket costs for non-emergency services.

By law, emergency room visits and any admissions resulting from an ER visit will still be considered in network. Exceptions also made for established patients who need continuation of care for an ongoing illness, such as a pregnancy or chemotherapy. "We know it will be difficult for our patients if Blue Cross chooses to put profits over patients. However, we will do whatever we can to help manage the impact of the disruption," said Murphy.

Last year, Anthem, Inc., which owns Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, reported $3.4 billion in profit, a 55 percent increase in profitability over 2016. Additionally, under the Trump tax reform package passed last year, Anthem/Blue Cross received a $1 billion credit in corporate tax relief, reducing the tax they paid to $121 million at a corporate tax rate of 3.1 percent – far below the tax rate imposed on most Long Island households.

While padding their corporate bottom line, Empire Blue Cross has been shortchanging South Nassau for years over the amount of money it reimburses the hospital for services being provided to patients who are covered by Blue Cross. Other hospitals in Nassau County receive as much as 40% more than South Nassau to treat the same medical conditions. South Nassau seeks parity with the amount of reimbursement Blue Cross currently provides to other hospitals in Nassau County.

South Nassau is encouraging Empire BlueCross members to contact Gov. Andrew Cuomo's Deputy Secretary for Health & Human Services (at: paul.francis@exec.ny.gov) to expresse support for a fair reimbursement rate for South Nassau. Members can also contact Anthem, Inc.'s Chair of Board of Directors, Elizabeth E. Tallett (boardofdirectors@anthem.com), to let her know that it is not good business to put profits ahead of people.

Designated a Magnet® hospital by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) for outstanding nursing care, South Nassau® Communities Hospital is one of the region's largest hospitals, with 455 beds, more than 900 physicians and 3,500 employees.  Located in Oceanside, NY, the hospital is an acute-care, not-for-profit teaching hospital that provides state-of-the-art care in cardiac, oncologic, orthopedic, bariatric, pain management, mental health and emergency services.

In addition to its extensive outpatient specialty centers, South Nassau provides emergency and elective angioplasty, and offers Novalis Tx™ and Gamma Knife® radiosurgery technologies.  South Nassau operates the only Trauma Center on the South Shore of Nassau County verified by the American College of Surgeons as well as Long Island's only free-standing, 9-1-1 receiving Emergency Department in Long Beach.

South Nassau also is a designated Stroke Center by the New York State Department of Health and Comprehensive Community Cancer Center by the American College of Surgeons, and is an accredited center of the Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery Association and Quality Improvement Program.

In addition, the hospital has been awarded the Joint Commission's gold seal of approval for disease-specific care for hip and knee replacement, heart failure, bariatric surgery, wound care and end-stage renal disease. For more information, visit www.southnassau.org.