Tennessee’s biggest health insurer and Chattanooga’s biggest hospital have finalized a 5-year agreement that officials said will ensure affordable, high-quality hospital services for some of the biggest health insurance plans in Chattanooga.
BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee and the Erlanger Health System announced Friday they have finalized an agreement to keep Erlanger in the network of the Blue Networks P and S, which covers 165,000 persons in the Chattanooga area, through 2023.
In addition, Erlanger has entered into a new arrangement, effective Dec. 1, to provide in-network care for patients enrolled in the insurer’s BlueCare Plus program, which serves individuals with complex needs who are eligible for both Medicare and Medicaid benefits. The BlueCare Plus plan covers more than 1,500 individuals in Southeast Tennessee and is expected to grow in future years.
According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, more than 23,000 people in the greater Chattanooga area are eligible for the program.
Erlanger previously was not in the BlueCare Plus network.