Thousands of people in Spokane County could be searching for new doctors this summer as MultiCare Health and Premera Blue Cross remain locked in contract negotiations.
MultiCare served a contract termination notice to Premera that would go into effect June 1 if the two sides don’t reach an agreement. The healthcare providers have been negotiating since November.
David Condon, Premera’s Eastern Washington vice president, said MultiCare’s proposed terms would dramatically increase costs. MultiCare said in a statement that Premera’s reimbursement rates “are among the lowest” and “have not kept pace with rising costs driven by inflation, workforce needs, and investments necessary to preserve services.”
Source: KXLY