May 11, 2023
Premera Blue Cross has been negotiating with UW Medicine in good faith to reach a new agreement that provides access to affordable, quality care for our members, and fairly compensates the health system.
We were surprised and disappointed that UW Medicine felt the need to create unnecessary angst and confusion by issuing a termination of contract notice and then sent communications to our producers, employers, and state legislators. This needlessly puts our members, customers, and partners in the middle of the negotiation by sending notices so early in the process.
We understand we're in unprecedented economic times, and we want to do our part to help. Significant rate increases, untethered to improvements in quality or access to care, work against our objective of making healthcare work better. We deeply value our long-standing relationship with UW Medicine. That’s why our focus has been – and continues to be – quickly reaching a new contract that mutually benefits UW Medicine and our members.
You can learn more about the negotiations on our Healthsource blog.