Stanford Hospital and Blue Shield in contract discussions

Stanford Hospital & Clinics and Menlo Clinic (SHC) and Blue Shield of California (Blue Shield) are in negotiations on a new contract. The current insurance contract between the hospital and the insurer will expire at 12:01 a.m. on Friday, April 27. SHC and Blue Shield are working diligently on a new contract and are hopeful that an agreement will be reached prior to the termination date.

As the deadline draws near, the parties involved will provide to plan participants. If an agreement is not reached by the April 27 deadline, Blue Shield patients – university faculty, staff, retirees (non-Medicare) and postdocs – who receive their care at Stanford Hospital & Clinics will be notified.

If SHC and Blue Shield are not under contract following the current contract expiration on April 27, Blue Shield members seeking treatment at SHC will face uncertainty about their co-payment and deductible obligation. We encourage Blue Shield members with scheduled procedures at SHC to seek input from both SHC and Blue Shield regarding their insurance coverage and financial obligation.

"We continue to encourage both Blue Shield and Stanford Hospital to arrive at a contract that will enable the university to provide affordable healthcare coverage," said Randy Livingston, vice president for business affairs and chief financial officer at Stanford University. "Our hope is to mitigate the disruption in the lives of Stanford employees and postdoctoral researchers covered by Blue Shield."

Information numbers:

SHC 24/7 Call Center 1-877-519-6099 (toll-free) and 650-736-5998

Blue Shield Customer Service 1-800-873-3605 (faculty, staff, retirees-non Medicare)

Blue Shield Customer Service 1-888-235-1760 (postdocs)

Please note that Medicare members who receive their care at SHC and Kaiser Health Plan participants will not be affected by this contract.