ATLANTA — Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal announced Tuesday afternoon that Blue Cross Blue Shield of Georgia and Piedmont Healthcare have reached a deal.
Deal called it a "handshake deal." He tweeted that he would "initiative executive action" if the two companies did not resolve their dispute by "close of business" Tuesday.
A handshake agreement between @AnthemInc & @PiedmontHealth was made in the governor’s office late this afternoon. Announcement of an agreement in the form of a contract will be made by the contracting parties as soon as possible. (1/2)
— Former Gov. Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) April 17, 2018
This deal ensures no interruption of coverage for Georgians using Piedmont Healthcare as a provider during the contract dispute. (2/2)
— Former Gov. Nathan Deal (@GovernorDeal) April 17, 2018
The two companies have been at odds for months over their contract renewal.
The rift broke open when the contract expired April 1 without a deal.
At issue is how much money Blue Cross will agree to pay Piedmont for its services.
When the contract ended, about 2 million Georgians who had Blue Cross insurance and the ability to see a Piedmont provider were suddenly out of network with Piedmont.
About 500,000 of those people were recent Piedmont patients, seeing one of its health care providers within the past 18 months.
Being out of network means much higher out-of-pocket costs for a patient.
Ralph Hudgens, Insurance Commissioner, sent Channel 2 Action News the following statement: "This agreement is great news for Georgia consumers. I commend Gov. Deal for helping to end this stalemate between Blue Cross Blue Shield and Piedmont."
Information from The Atlanta Journal-Constitution was used in this report.
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