BayCare and Florida Blue
We are reinvesting in our patients and their access to essential care every day. That means every penny we earn is reinvested into patient care and the caregivers who provide it.
Our Mission
Our mission is to improve the health of all we serve through community-owned health care services that set the standard for high-quality, compassionate care. Our nurses and doctors continue to confront the COVID-19 pandemic in the midst of supply chain issues, growing inflation and caregiver burnout. By refusing to adequately reimburse us, Florida Blue puts our ability to provide the essential care patients need and deserve at risk.
Our Commitment
We have a commitment to do what’s right for our patients and our community. In 2021 alone, we provided $497 million – more than 10% of our annual revenue – in community benefit through charity care, unbilled community services, educational programs and income-based programs. Additionally, we are the region’s largest provider of Behavioral Health services and have even deepened our commitment to hiring more Behavioral Health providers to help address the community’s unmet needs, a decision that comes at a substantial financial cost to the system.
Our Values
Health care value is a focus for BayCare, with many of our agreements with health insurance companies prioritizing value. We have value-based agreements that focus on quality, not quantity, with many insurance companies – including Florida Blue. With these agreements, we lower the cost of care by keeping patients healthy and out of the hospital.
The parent company of Florida Blue generates about $20 billion in revenue annually.
Florida Blue is one of the nation’s top ten biggest insurers, and the largest insurance provider in the state of Florida.
Every year, Florida Blue asks its members and employers to pay more for their health insurance coverage. For example, in 2022, Florida Blue increased their marketplace exchange premiums by 9.8%. Those increases are not proportionately shared with health care providers like BayCare.
Instead, insurers like Florida Blue are shifting the cost of care to patients by demanding higher premiums and deductibles. Patients often find that, even though they pay high monthly premiums for health insurance, their insurance company still requires them to shoulder a large portion of their cost of care.
Florida Blue has created hardships for patients and providers in recent years, creating hardship for patients by removing health systems from its network or threatening to do so as a result of failed negotiations.
What You Can Do
Remember nothing changes before October 1, 2022.
Keep all your scheduled appointments and procedures with BayCare, and don’t delay routine health screenings, procedures or tests important to your health.
Call Florida Blue at the number on the back of your insurance card and urge them to work with BayCare on a new agreement.
If you receive your insurance through your employer (including out-of-state BlueCross plans), talk to your Human Resources or Benefits Department and urge them to contact Florida Blue.
Click here to view the list of insurance companies with which BayCare contracts.