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Battle Between Healthcare Giants In Western NC Leaves Patients In Limbo

WUNC | By Laura Pellicer,
Frank Stasio
Published September 14, 2017 at 12:28 PM EDT
Mission Health announced it would end contracts with BCBSNC after failed negotiations over reimbursement rates.
Mission Health
/
Wikimedia Commons
Mission Health announced it would end contracts with BCBSNC after failed negotiations over reimbursement rates.

Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Mission Health are going head-to-head over the cost of services for patients in western North Carolina.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the latest on Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina and Mission Health going head-to-head over the cost of services for patients in western North Carolina.

OnJuly 5Mission Health announced it would end contracts with BCBSNC after failed negotiations over reimbursement rates. BCBSNC has in turn accused Mission of being “among the most expensive” for many procedures. The BCBSNC-Mission contract is set to end onOctober 5. Mission Health is the largest healthcare provider in Buncombe County, and the negotiation stalemate has left thousands of western North Carolinians with little information about the future cost of care at their local hospitals.

Host Frank Stasio speaks with Blue Ridge Public Radio News Director Matt Bush about the latest.

Copyright 2017 North Carolina Public Radio
Laura Pellicer
Laura Pellicer is a producer with The State of Things (hyperlink), a show that explores North Carolina through conversation. Laura was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, a city she considers arrestingly beautiful, if not a little dysfunctional. She worked as a researcher for CBC Montreal and also contributed to their programming as an investigative journalist, social media reporter, and special projects planner. Her work has been nominated for two Canadian RTDNA Awards. Laura loves looking into how cities work, pursuing stories about indigenous rights, and finding fresh voices to share with listeners. Laura is enamored with her new home in North Carolina—notably the lush forests, and the waves where she plans on moonlighting as a mediocre surfer.
See stories by Laura Pellicer
Frank Stasio
Longtime NPR correspondent Frank Stasio was named permanent host of The State of Things in June 2006. A native of Buffalo, Frank has been in radio since the age of 19. He began his public radio career at WOI in Ames, Iowa, where he was a magazine show anchor and the station's News Director.
See stories by Frank Stasio