Will Florida Blue and these two Broward hospitals make a deal? What we know
Nearly 10 months.
That’s how long people who have a health plan under Florida Blue or one of its affiliates have been locked out of in-network care at Broward Health, the public health system that mainly serves northern Broward County, due to ongoing contract disputes. A similar dispute has left Florida Blue members unable to access in-network care at Memorial Healthcare System, the public health system that primarily serves southern Broward, for nearly eight months.
The dispute has dragged out for an unusually long time between the Broward hospitals and Florida Blue, one of the largest health insurers in the state, leaving thousands of people locked out of in-network care at the public hospital systems. The two sides appear to be at a standstill, accusing each other of wanting too much money. A similar dispute between Florida Blue and Cleveland Clinic Florida was resolved earlier this year, with a new deal keeping Cleveland Clinic’s Weston hospital in-network.
Florida Blue told the Miami Herald this week that negotiations are still ongoing with Memorial and Broward Health.
“Our focus remains on the people who rely on us for access to care during a time when costs are rising for everyone,” Florida Blue said in a statement. “We continue to engage in discussions with the leadership teams from both of these trusted local health systems and welcome the opportunity to move towards a reasonable resolution that keeps health care costs under control.”
When asked about the negotiations, Broward Health told the Herald that it’s “always wanted to be in network with Florida Blue and remain hopeful they will return to the negotiating table so we can reach a fair market value agreement.”
“Broward Health is ready to care for the thousands of patients across the community who require our services,” the hospital said.
Memorial also told the Herald it’s still hoping to come to an agreement with the insurer.
“Memorial Healthcare System remains ready and willing to reach a fair agreement with Florida Blue that protects our patients’ access to the physicians, hospitals and care they know and trust. Unfortunately, Florida Blue has not yet come to the table with terms that appropriately reflect the quality, breadth and value of the care Memorial provides to our community,” Memorial said in a statement. “As a public healthcare system, we must ensure any agreement supports the full scope of services our patients and families depend on every day.”
“Our focus remains on reaching a resolution that prioritizes patients, preserves access to trusted providers and protects the sustainability of critical healthcare services South Florida families rely upon,” it added.
None of the three parties answered a question asking when they had last met up to negotiate.
Here’s an update on the ongoing negotiations:
Updates on in-network care
As of March 1, two “Memorial Ambulatory Surgical Centers (ASCs) are back in-network,” according to a Florida Blue webpage on its negotiation with Memorial. The two sites are:
- Cypress Creek Outpatient Surgical Center at 2122 W. Cypress Creek Road, Suite 120, in Fort Lauderdale
- South Broward Endoscopy LLC at 11011 Sheridan St., Suite 106, in Hollywood
Nicklaus Children’s Health System, which in 2024 struck a deal to become the pediatric provider of Broward Health’s children hospital, on March 1 also began offering inpatient and outpatient care to Florida Blue patients at two Broward Health facilities. Patients need to be treated by a Nicklaus doctor at the following facilities for in-network care:
- Broward Health Medical Center, 1600 S. Andrews Ave., Fort Lauderdale, which is home to Salah Foundation Children’s Hospital
- Broward Health Coral Springs, 3000 Coral Hills Drive, in Coral Springs
All other Memorial Health and Broward Health facilities, including hospitals and urgent care centers, remain out-of-network for patients who are insured through Florida Blue, formerly known as Blue Cross Blue Shield of Florida. Many primary and specialty care doctors associated with the health systems are also out-of-network.
READ NEXT: What Florida Blue members in Broward should know about billing, ER and other care
What is the dispute about?
Florida Blue and the public hospitals have been in pay rate negotiations since last year. Broward Health went out-of-network July 1. Memorial Health has been out-of-network since Sept. 1.
The hospitals are accusing Florida Blue of underpaying them compared to similar South Florida health providers and insurers. Florida Blue is accusing the Broward hospitals of wanting too much money.
Both public hospitals declined a records request for their former contracts with Florida Blue, citing an exemption under the state’s public records law.
The fallout has affected thousands of Florida Blue members who are locked out of in-network care at the two largest health systems in Broward County. Both Memorial and Broward Health serve as the county’s safety-net hospital systems and provide care to everyone, regardless of ability to pay or insurance status.
Florida Blue members can still go to Memorial and Broward Health’s ERs for emergency situations. Florida Blue, like most health insurers, is required by law to cover emergency care at Memorial, Broward Health and other ERs at in-network rates, even if the emergency room is out-of-network.
What can patients do in the meantime?
Florida Blue members can either pay out-of-network rates to keep getting care at Memorial and Broward Health or find a new in-network provider. Health advocates say patients can put pressure on the hospitals and Florida Blue to make a deal by contacting the hospitals, the health insurer, and local and state representatives to share their frustrations with the dispute and how it’s affected their ability to get care.
In the meantime, some of the places patients can go for in-network care in Broward County include Holy Cross Hospital in Fort Lauderdale and Cleveland Clinic’s hospital in Weston. You can also seek care through Baptist Health South Florida and HCA Florida locations, including MD Now Urgent Care.
