Employers in the Delaware Valley region received a brief word from Independence Blue Cross that they’d reached an agreement with the Crozer-Keystone system.

To our members who receive care through the Crozer-Keystone Health System

We are pleased to have agreed on terms for a new four-year contract with Crozer-Keystone Health System.

Our members may continue to receive care through Crozer-Keystone from the physicians they have come to know and trust. In addition, our members who have health plans that require a primary care physician will not need to change doctors. We would like to thank our customers, members, and the physicians serving patients at Crozer-Keystone for their patience and understanding during contract discussions.

We are committed to continuing to offer our members access to affordable, quality care through a broad network of hospitals, physicians and other health care services.

Christopher Butler
Chief Operating Officer
Independence Blue Cross

That a deal would be struck was a certainty. For each company, the possibility of losing the other’s customer base, even for a short while, was a form of mutually assured destruction.

No details of the deal have been made public. Consequently, the other shoe has yet to drop for the region’s employers and workers. If there’s a surprising rate hike at the next renewal period, we may well have an idea how these negotiations played out.