Latest news with #BlueShield
NBC Sports
5 days ago
- Climate
- NBC Sports
Site of this week's Korn Ferry Tour event badly damaged after overnight storm
A severe storm that produced triple-digit wind gusts and caused significant damage to the Wichita, Kansas, area overnight Monday didn't spare the host of this week's Korn Ferry Tour event. Crestview Country Club, located just east of downtown Wichita, sustained downed trees and flooding while several grandstands and other tournament structures were also damaged. A wind gust of 101 mph was recorded at nearby Eisenhower International Airport early Tuesday morning. Due to extensive storm damage throughout Wichita, the golf course and practice facilities at Crestview Country Club have been closed for the remainder of the day. The agronomy team is working tirelessly to repair damages and prepare the grounds for the tournament competition.… The course and practice area were closed on Tuesday as maintenance staff worked to clear debris. Tournament officials hoped to reopen the grounds on Wednesday, though severe weather is expected again beginning Tuesday night. 'Due to extensive storm damage throughout Wichita, the golf course and practice facilities at Crestview Country Club have been closed for the remainder of the day,' the Korn Ferry Tour said in a statement. 'The agronomy team is working tirelessly to repair damages and prepare the grounds for the tournament competition. The golf course grounds are planning to reopen tomorrow morning.' Unfortunate situation at the @KornFerryTour I'm hearing the course is in really really bad shape after a bad storm ripped thru early this morning. Trees down everywhere. Terrible situation for everyone. The Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Kansas Wichita Open is scheduled to start on Thursday.
Yahoo
12-06-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield offering mental health classes
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield is offering mental health classes in response to a growing need. Officials with Blue Cross and Blue Shield said the company will offer no-cost mental health first aid classes. Three new classes are scheduled for this summer, designed to equip participants with the skills needed to assist individuals experiencing a mental health crisis, such as thoughts of suicide. These 2 items added to 'Dirty Dozen' list of most pesticide-contaminated produce The three new classes are: July 16 – Searcy, Harding University Aug. 20 – Arkadelphia, Dawson Education Service Cooperative Sept. 17 – Russellville, Arkansas Tech University (co-sponsored by Arkansas Tech) Mental Health First Aid instructor and Arkansas Blue Cross manager of well-being and health solution strategies Kristen Lippencott said the classes have been well-received. 'The response to these classes has been tremendous,' she said. 'Parents, friends, healthcare providers, educators and members of the community are coming together to end the stigma surrounding mental health. They want to make a difference, and it's inspiring.' Counselors point to a recent study showing mental health challenges are growing, including that 12% of new mothers stated their mental health was only fair or low. Nearly 34% of people with disabilities report having frequent mental distress in the same study. Arkansas Blue Cross and Blue Shield offering assistance to those impacted by April storms Blue Cross and Blue Shield officials said the training is suitable for any adult, regardless of their background or experience. Class sizes are limited, and participants may register at Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
San Francisco Chronicle
12-06-2025
- Health
- San Francisco Chronicle
UC Health, Blue Shield contract dispute could disrupt care for thousands in California
Thousands of Californians who get medical care at UC Health through Blue Shield of California — including many in the Bay Area who go to UCSF and One Medical, a UCSF affiliate — may need to find a different health insurer or pay out-of-network rates for services if the parties cannot reach a new contract by July 10. UC Health and Blue Shield, two of California's largest health care industry players, are renegotiating contracts to establish how much Blue Shield will reimburse for services provided by UC Health hospitals, clinics and other facilities. One Medical is an affiliate of UCSF Health, one of the six UC Health academic health centers. In the Bay Area, this could impact residents insured by Blue Shield who get care at UCSF Medical Center, UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals in San Francisco and Oakland, UCSF Medical Group and UCSF Benioff Children's Physicians, UCSF said in a notification posted online this month. It includes people on CalPERS plans, employer plans, Covered California plans and Medicare plans (including Medicare Advantage) offered or administered by Blue Shield. The dispute could also affect people insured by Blue Shield who are members of the popular primary care provider One Medical, which is an affiliate of UCSF. Services will remain in-network through July 9. UCSF Health community hospitals at Saint Francis and St. Mary's are not affected by the negotiations and will remain in-network. Neither UC Health nor Blue Shield would specify how many of its patients or members could be affected. But it's at least in the tens of thousands, as this potential contract termination would impact about 35,000 CalPERS members who have Blue Shield plans and receive care from UC Health, according to CalPERS. Contract negotiations between health care providers and insurers are common and often involve disagreements over reimbursement rates. Last year, UC Health and Anthem Blue Cross, another major insurer in the state, similarly had a dispute over contract renegotiations that lasted months. It eventually resulted in the two parties reaching a new contract. 'UC Health continues to do our part to negotiate with Blue Shield in hopes of reaching a new, fair agreement to preserve in-network access to UC Health locations without interruptions for Blue Shield of California members,' the UC Office of the President said in a statement. 'Despite months of negotiations, the University of California Health system administrators have decided to end its contract with Blue Shield of California on July 10, 2025, unless a new agreement is reached with higher reimbursement rates,' Blue Shield of California said in a statement. 'It is our desire to reach an agreement that ensures members continue to have access to UC Health hospitals and providers at reasonable costs that are sustainably affordable for our customers. We will continue to negotiate with UC Health system administrators in good faith.' One Medical declined to comment. The provider recently sent members a notice saying it was informed by UCSF that unless an agreement is reached between Blue Shield and UC, One Medical providers in the Bay Area will no longer be in-network with Blue Shield of California as of July 10.
Dominion Post
12-06-2025
- Business
- Dominion Post
Mon Commission grappling with soaring insurance costs
MORGANTOWN — 'This is just not sustainable.' Monongalia County Commissioner Tom Bloom lamented that the annual increases in the cost of group employee health insurance is on a trajectory that will consume an untenable percentage of the county's overall budget in the near future without intervention. On Wednesday, the commission approved a proposal from Highmark Blue Cross/Blue Shield that comes with a 20.48% cost increase to the county when it takes effect Aug. 1. All told, the percentage increase absorbed by the county will total just over $1 million. Commissioner Sean Sikora explained that the final agreed-upon number was actually negotiated down significantly from Highmark's opening offer, which would have kept everything unchanged from the current plan — except the cost, which would have jumped 34.8%. In order to bring the percentage down, the commission agreed to raise employee deductibles from $6,000 single/$12,000 family to $7,000/$14,000. That disclosure was followed by a commitment from the commission to cover all employee deductibles at a potential maximum cost of $900,000. There will be a change on the employee end. Co-insurance — the percentage of a medical bill the patient pays after meeting the deductible — will increase from 10% to 20%. 'Really, that's the only negative impact to the employees,' Sikora said. 'There's two positive impacts. One, they're not getting a premium increase when there is one — a significant one. Two, they're not having to pay any deductible, which previously they had to pay $750 or $1,500.' Sikora explained that the county, like many other public and private entities, is facing what's known as the 'group plan dilemma' in which costs rise higher and higher while the level of satisfaction – either from employees, employers or both – falls. Embedded within the group plan concept is the inevitability that a small number of individuals will push costs up for everyone. It was explained that the offer Highmark first presented to the county was predicated on the fact that the company paid out 23% more than it collected in premiums in the current cycle. 'The problem we're dealing with is our experience in claims is what's driving our cost. There's nothing we can do about that. It's really just what they call in the industry the 'group dilemma.' Having these group plans, if we put it out to bid or we ask for a new proposal, we're paying for our experience. All that information is known and all that information is out there. We have a small portion of our participants that account for nearly 50% or 60% of all our claims, and those aren't going away.' While the commission opted to move forward with the Blue Cross/Blue Shield proposal, the insurance discussion isn't over. The body recently heard a pitch regarding ICHRA, or Individual Coverage Health Reimbursement Arrangement, through which employees would work with a consultant to select their own health plan options from various insurance carriers and the commission would reimburse employees tax-free for premium costs up to a defined amount. As it stands, the commission is looking at an overall insurance spend of approximately $6 million in a $43.6 million budget. That's up from about $4.9 million. Based on recent history, there's no indication the county won't be back in this position a year from now. 'And that's just not realistic. That's not acceptable. We have to look at other options,' Bloom said.
Associated Press
11-06-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Zocdoc Teams Up with Blue Shield of California to Simplify the Appointment Scheduling Experience for its Members
Company announces first-of-its-kind collaboration to power seamless in-network scheduling within a health plan's provider directory NEW YORK, June 11, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Zocdoc today announced a new collaboration with Blue Shield of California, a nonprofit health plan, to help its members seamlessly schedule in-network, in-person and virtual care appointments through the plan's Find a doctor tool in the member portal. Blue Shield members can now see providers' real-time availability and easily access more than 1 million hours of bookable appointments available over a 90-day window. This marks the first time Zocdoc is working with a health plan to power scheduling for its online member portal. It builds on the company's expansion beyond its marketplace as it already powers scheduling on providers' websites, Google Business Profiles and practices' phone lines via its new AI phone assistant, Zo. Underlying this collaboration is nearly two decades of Zocdoc's expertise in facilitating patient-provider interactions, understanding complex healthcare scheduling logic, and integrating with a broad base of EHRs. No other company in healthcare has the depth of experience, infrastructure, and intellectual property when it comes to seamless online scheduling across a large, diverse, decentralized provider network. 'We know that patients rely on their health plans to find quality, in-network care, and we are proud to partner with Blue Shield of California to power a seamless experience that helps their members access the right providers for their needs,' said Oliver Kharraz, MD, Zocdoc founder and CEO. 'This collaboration—a first of its kind for Zocdoc—is symbolic of our expansion beyond our marketplace; we are leveraging nearly 20 years of scheduling expertise to help patients easily book appointments wherever they are seeking care, to help providers connect with patients across more channels, and to help payors modernize their members' access experience and care coordination.' The collaboration is a part of Blue Shield's effort to create high-quality, seamless experiences for members; it enables 24/7 appointment scheduling for members seeking care from Blue Shield's network of primary care, specialist, vision, dental, mental and behavioral health providers who are also in Zocdoc's bookable provider network. Across all types of care, outdated scheduling systems have become a barrier to healthcare access. According to a Zocdoc-commissioned survey conducted earlier this year, more than half of patients who were unable to reach their doctor by phone admitted to delaying care (54%), while one in three admitted to giving up on scheduling a visit entirely (33%). Digital tools can help address these barriers. 'As we continue to address healthcare access issues, making it easier and faster for our members to get connected to in-network care is absolutely essential,' said Jigar Shah, chief marketing and strategy officer at Blue Shield of California. 'To make healthcare worthy of our family and friends, we must deliver best-in-class member experiences, and Blue Shield is leveraging digital tools to do exactly that. We are proud to work with Zocdoc on an important part of our strategy to improve access to care.' Appointments are now available for members across all Blue Shield of California employer-sponsored plans, Individual and Family Plans, and Medicare plans. Blue Shield and Zocdoc will continue to add more in-network provider schedules for members to book quickly and seamlessly. Blue Shield's in-network providers who are interested in adding appointments to the system can visit this site for more information. There is no cost to providers to participate, and set-up is a simple, one-time activation. Zocdoc has built more than 175 calendar integrations with commonly used healthcare scheduling systems. About Zocdoc Zocdoc is the leading healthcare marketplace that aims to help every patient find and book every type of care. Each month, millions of patients visit or use the Zocdoc app to find quality, in-network doctors, see their real-time availability, and instantly book appointments for in-person or virtual care. Zocdoc doesn't just make healthcare easier, it also accelerates patients' access to care with the typical appointment happening within 24 to 72 hours of booking. While Zocdoc's mission is to give power to the patient, the company supports healthcare providers, too. Doctors across every state, specialty and segment — from solo practitioners to large hospitals and health systems — rely on Zocdoc to grow their practice, at every stage. With Zocdoc, they can reach new patients where they're seeking care, save staff time with tools that integrate into their practice software, and delight their patients through great experiences that keep them coming back. Overall, Zocdoc delivers the seamless, modern healthcare experience patients deserve. About Blue Shield of California Blue Shield of California strives to create a healthcare system worthy of its family and friends that is sustainably affordable. The health plan is a taxpaying, nonprofit, independent member of the Blue Shield Association with 6 million members, over 7,500 employees and more than $27 billion in annual revenue. Founded in 1939 in San Francisco and now headquartered in Oakland, Blue Shield of California and its affiliates provide health, dental, vision, Medicaid and Medicare healthcare service plans in California. The company has contributed more than $60 million to the Blue Shield of California Foundation in the last three years to have an impact on California communities. For more news about Blue Shield of California, please visit Or follow us on LinkedIn or Facebook. CONTACT: Zocdoc PR Team, 19293499190, [email protected] View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Zocdoc, Inc.
