River Park, HCA bent on absorbing extra costs
When it comes to local health care, Warren County residents need River Park Hospital. There’s no other way to state it.
And when it comes to insurance, a great many Warren countians rely on Blue Cross Blue Shield as their provider. Whether they are teachers with the school system or work at a local factory, thousands of Warren County residents have Blue Cross as their insurance provider.
That’s why last year’s contract negotiations between HCA – River Park’s parent company – and Blue Cross drew considerable interest. It’s why people of this area were hoping the two health care giants could resolve their differences and agree on a contract. It’s also why there was cause for alarm when contract negotiations between the two companies collapsed.
But amid the corporate greed and monstrous egos that kept the two sides from agreeing on a contract, HCA has shown its compassionate side. After negotiations broke down for good, HCA waived out-of-network fees for Blue Cross patients for the remainder of 2003 – what amounted to about eight months.
And as 2003 came to a close, HCA once again showed it has a heart. The company said it will waive out-of-network fees for Blue Cross patients for all of 2004.
Where the money will come from to make up the difference is certainly a valid question. It’s also easy to think HCA and River Park would be better off financially to agree on a contract with Blue Cross than to continue absorbing what can amount to 40 percent more per patient in out-of-network fees.
Regardless of the logic involved, there is no doubt this is a noble gesture and one which shows the corporation, and its local hospitals like River Park, are committed to providing health care at a price that’s as affordable as possible. And affordable health care is one of the biggest challenges which is currently facing this nation.
The health care horror stories have made their rounds and been difficult to believe at times. When patients are charged $5 for a cotton ball, or $20 for an aspirin, or $160 to have their name and address entered into a computer, it is cause for alarm.
It’s that sort of attitude when it comes to billing which makes it hard to believe hospitals are committed to providing affordable health care. But in this day of state-of-the-art equipment, million dollar lawsuits, and soaring malpractice insurance, that’s become the unfortunate nature of the beast. For many Americans, health care is no longer affordable and their inability to pay only compounds the problem for the rest of us.
As we’ve seen in this state with TennCare, correcting the problems with our health care system is not easy. A ready-made solution certainly isn’t going to appear in the words of this column.
But the Standard can praise the efforts of River Park and HCA for trying to make a difference and for trying to ease an already cumbersome burden. Ultimately, HCA and Blue Cross must resolve their differences or both corporations will suffer. And when that happens, that suffering will trickle down to individuals in the form of higher hospital bills.
For now, however, HCA and River Park are left looking like the heroes. They’ve saved the day, at least for one more year.