“We will probably propose to the legislature that contracts cannot be canceled except during an open enrollment period,” Commissioner Mike Chaney told the news outlet.
Mr. Chaney said the reason for the proposal is so patients can immediately sign up for new health coverage on the state’s marketplace instead of waiting for months without coverage.
The argument between BCBS, the state’s largest insurance company, and Jackson-based University of Mississippi Medical Center, the state’s largest hospital and singular provider of many services, first began in February when UMMC requested higher reimbursement rates from the payer.
No deal was ever reached and since April 1, tens of thousands of patients across the state have been left with little to no access to covered care.
