State insurance commissioner Mike Chaney thinks the University of Mississippi Medical Center is violating state law by turning away patients during its dispute with Blue Cross & Blue Shield, Mississippi Today reported July 27.
Mr. Chaney said the state insurance department has received multiple complaints from patients who have been told by their physicians they cannot receive care at the hospital because they are insured by Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Mississippi, according to the report. The state's only safety-net hospital has been out of network with the payer since April 1.
Mr. Chaney said he believes that turning away patients would violate a state law that says University of Mississippi Medical Center “shall be utilized to serve the people of Mississippi generally," according to the report. He said his office has forwarded several patient complaints to the hospital and other authorities that can enforce the law.
A University of Mississippi Medical Center spokesperson told Mississippi Today that he had no comment on the allegations.