NEW JERSEY — Hackensack Meridian Health and Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon) have reached an agreement on a new multi-year contract, after a year of unsuccessful negotiations, according to a press release.
With the agreement on a new contract, the 13 hospitals, including Ocean University Medical Center in Brick Township and Jersey Shore University Medical Center in Neptune Township, will remain in the network.
According to the press release, the agreement means patients with Horizon insurance plans will continue to have uninterrupted, in-network access to Hackensack Meridian Health’s doctors, hospitals and facilities across the state.
The agreement, announced this week, was reached two months before the June 1 deadline.
“As New Jersey’s largest health network, Hackensack Meridian Health is committed each day to ensuring that our patients have access to high-quality, innovative patient care,” said Robert C. Garrett, CEO of Hackensack Meridian Health, in a press release. “We are thrilled to have reached a resolution with Horizon ensuring that our world-class team members can continue to provide excellent care to the patients and communities we serve.”
“All of us in health care have an obligation to work to make health care more affordable and accessible,” said Gary D. St. Hilaire, Horizon’s chairman and CEO, in a press release. “This agreement reflects our shared belief that health care works best when providers and insurers work together to put the people we serve at the center of everything we do.”
Prior to the agreement, representatives both locally and at a state level, called for the two sides to come to an agreement.
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