Jackson Jambalaya

Yay?

Glad it's settled....
Now, I paid good money for this subscription, where is my matchbook covers for the week?

Blue Cross is a monopolistic predator. We desperately need competition in this state.

"Blue Cross and UMMC thank Mississippi Insurance Commissioner Mike Chaney for his leadership in encouraging the parties to enter mediation..."

Whoever penned that remark must have had a tightly clamped anus in order to hit those keyboard letters.

As if Chaney's leadership was needed and agreement was desired to begin with. It was a card game of 'sweating' each other out. Nothing more.

BC has more than 80%.

Who else has a network here?

Who does Nissan use?

United Healthcare has a network here in MS, but it ain't as good as BCBS. I'm sure Nissan and other very large employers are self-insured and use a TPA to handle claims.

1:00 Nissan uses BCBS TN

Don't think BCBS hasn't done their research. Very few if ANY other big insurance carriers even want to serve Mississippi. Why? You know why: Mississippi has the unhealthiest population in the country, other carriers don't want to lose money on a population that has no motivation to even take care of themselves. But that is changing, because BCBS is expecting better health behavior or you won't get services paid for. Simple.....and UMMC won't be able to profiteer off of so many poor people's plight.

"...and UMMC won't be able to profiteer off of so many poor people's plight."

False. As long as UMMC maintains it's trauma center level, has a walk in, no-pay policy for transients, bums, vagrants and people who are shot up or cut full of holes.....they will continue as the destination of the poor for decades to come.

What the hell to you suggest would change that?

@5:56 Just because they "announced" an agreement doesn't mean BCBS is going to pay for any of those things at a UMMC stipulated rate. I presume you mean that the state will have to pick up those tabs for the poor for decades to com? Well that's a UMMC decision, and likely so that they can stay in business. But the so-called 10-12% of billing UMMC reported is related to BCBS isn't going to continue at those previous rates by a long shot, and it's likely that they bill MUCH more to BCBS than their letting on. That's why it's such a secret. You can bash BCBS all you want, but they will determine future payables, and yes, if nightmarish and subpar service is being provided, then you are profiteering, and doing it off the poor to boot.

The poor are covered by Medicaid, not BCBS. Thank goodness for UMMC and Medicaid or the poor would not have access to medical care.

And UMMC's choice to treat the immense volume of Medicaid patients it does is what they use to justify billing obscenes rates to the private insurance providers to "make-up" for what they lose with the very low Medicaid reimbursements. UMMC thinks it's morally justified "because we're the only one's helping the poor!" Get real. Goods and services. Sheesh.

UMMC is a public hospital and is required to treat Medicaid patients. It has no choice. Try again.

@ 8:42am Uh, yes - being a public OR a private hospital through agreement with the federal government, they aren't allowed to turn away ANYBODY per the The Emergency Medical and Treatment Labor Act (EMTLA). But UMMC is well know for cutting corners/costs in other necessary areas and gouging insurance carriers in attempts to make up the difference. This is not new information.