Forum Today On Norton-Anthem Dispute

The impasse between Kentucky's largest insurer and Louisville's largest healthcare provider will get a public airing Monday.Norton Healthcare is threatening to drop Anthem Blue Cross/Blue Shield from its supported insurers if the company doesn't agree to higher reimbursements and other administrative changes.The Louisville-Kentucky Business Coalition on Health will hold a forum on the issue for business leaders. Coalition president Paul Shaughnessy says higher rates for Anthem could likely mean higher rates for employers who use the insurer."Employers are kind of caught off guard that they might have to respond to this," he says. "What actions might they have to take. So I think for the first time employers are really looking at this saying, 'Where is our voice?'"Only a spokesperson for Anthem will speak at the forum. A Norton representative says the company would rather work on renegotiating its contract with Anthem than make presentations at public forums.