Benefits vendor warns Van Buren County that hospital network disputes can increase employee costs

A representative of the county's benefits vendor told the Van Buren County Quorum Court that recent negotiations between local hospitals and insurers can leave hospitals temporarily out of network and increase costs for employees who continue to use those facilities. The presentation, given during a public benefits Q&A with court members and department heads, focused on how the county's self-funded plan manages large claims and where employees can find lower-cost care.

The vendor representative described a recent case involving a Baptist hospital that sought higher prices while reducing PPO discounts, saying, “They were going to get double paid,” and that hospitals sometimes go out of network until it "hurts them enough that they sign to get back in network." The vendor said that when a hospital and…