By Todd Hatton
Paris, TN – Henry County Medical Center may be forced to stop taking Blue Cross TennCare patients except for emergency care. Administrator Tom Gee told the hospital's board of trustees last week Blue Cross had sent notification that it planned to reduce the TennCare rate by 5.7%. Gee says Blue Cross is now going back on an agreement signed with the hospital about 10 months ago, something he says they do not have the legal right to do.
According to the Paris Post Intelligencer, Gee says they would also seek legal opinions about the hospital's rights. The board agreed the hospital may have to simply turn down TennCare patients who are covered by Blue Cross. About 40% of TennCare patients are covered by another company.