Community Regional Medical Center in downtown Fresno is the largest hospital in the central San Joaquin Valley.
Fresno Bee file
Fresno
Three weeks after thousands of central San Joaquin Valley residents lost in-network access to the region’s largest healthcare system due to a contract breakdown, the Fresno City Council has made a move in hopes of expediting a resolution.
The contract between Blue Shield of California and Community Medical Centers lapsed Jan. 31 after the two parties failed to reach an agreement, leaving 12,000 enrollees unable to receive in-network coverage. This included 5,000 city employees and about 3,200 Valley Children’s Hospital medical staff.
Blue Shield of California policyholders lost access to their medical care at Community Regional Medical Center, the Valley’s only Level I trauma center, as well as Clovis Community Medical Center, Fresno Heart & Surgical Hospital and Community Behavioral Health Center.
Council President Mike Karbassi said that one solution to restore care could be for the City Health and Welfare Trust Board, which manages the health benefits plan for city employees, to negotiate directly with Community Medical Centers.
On Thursday, the City Council agreed to provide up to $50,000 to the board for a defense fund in case that results in legal issues, and would consider allocating more funds in the future if needed.
Karbassi said the hope is that the threat of negotiating a new plan will bring Blue Shield and Community to an agreement. He added that Community has been in communication with the city and shown willingness to make a deal, but has not heard any response from Blue Shield.
Both Blue Shield and Community Health Systems have pointed fingers at each other for the disruption.
As of Thursday morning, a Community representative told Karbassi that no meetings are on the books for negotiation.
“Fresno families should not be caught in the middle of contract disputes,” Karbassi said in a Facebook post. “We will continue fighting to ensure our employees and residents have access to affordable, quality healthcare.”
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