Blue Cross and Children's Minnesota settle contract dispute

Children's Minnesota and the state's largest health plan have agreed on a new contract that restores in-network access to the state's largest pediatric hospital for people covered by Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Minnesota.

Blue Cross CEO Michael Guyette and Bob Bonar, the chief executive at Children's, offered no details about the three-year agreement during a news conference Friday in Minneapolis.

They stressed that Blue Cross subscribers once again would have in-network access to Children's — an important distinction because the hospital's out-of-network status as of Wednesday could have stuck families with thousands of dollars in extra costs if they sought care at Children's.

"A contract has been reached between the two parties," state Attorney General Lori Swanson, who helped negotiate the settlement, said at the start of the news conference.

Read more: http://www.startribune.com/blue-cross-and-children-s-minnesota-settle-contract-dispute/433154313/