Healthcare must be accessible, affordable
Recent news regarding Jackson Hospital’s potential closure has understandably raised concerns among patients, families, employers, and healthcare providers across the River Region.
As a not-for-profit healthcare insurer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama’s (BCBSAL) priority remains unchanged: Ensuring Alabamians have access to high-quality healthcare while keeping coverage affordable for the nearly two million Alabama members who rely on us.
In this challenging environment of rising healthcare costs, we must balance access, quality, and affordability. What Jackson Hospital is seeking is neither affordable nor fair to our customers, who will ultimately bear the costs, and does not align with our mission of providing the best value for our members’ healthcare dollars. BCBSAL spends more than 93 cents of every premium dollar to pay for our members’ medical care. In 2025, BCBSAL spent over $13 billion on medical care for our customers in Alabama, including nearly $5.7 billion to Alabama hospitals.
Our role is to ensure those dollars are spent responsibly so that coverage remains accessible for families, small businesses, and employers throughout the state. For that reason, Blue Cross remains committed to solutions that support patient care without placing unnecessary financial burdens on Alabama families and employers. We believe those goals are not mutually exclusive. In fact, they must go hand-in-hand.
As discussions continue regarding Jackson Hospital’s future, our focus remains on our members. Jackson Hospital is a valued part of the region’s healthcare system, and that is why we have continued to come to the table to negotiate and try to be part of a solution to its financial problems.
The reality is that these financial problems are not ours to solve, given that BCBSAL is less than 20% of Jackson’s revenue and patient base. Yet, we have worked with Jackson Hospital over the years to increase reimbursement rates and even sought solutions outside normal processes because Jackson Hospital is a beneficial part of the community. We know our members go there to receive general medical and emergency services, but they should not be asked to pay as if they were receiving the specialty or intensive critical care services received at other hospitals.
Healthcare reimbursement is not a one-size-fitsall proposition. Hospitals like Jackson Hospital and Baptist South differ in the complexity of services they offer, the patients they treat, the specialists they employ, and the resources required to deliver care. We worked for years to support Jackson through negotiated agreements that reflect the services it provides and the needs of the communities it serves.
Taking care of our members and making sure they have access to the care they need is our top priority. Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama is committed to working closely with our members and healthcare provider partners to ensure continuity of care and minimize disruption for patients.
BCBSAL is fortunate in that our members are served by a broad network of healthcare providers, and we will help coordinate care so that our members continue to receive the services they need. We want our members to know we are available to them. If they have questions, they can call the number on the back of their BCBSAL card.
Alabamians deserve a healthcare system that is accessible, sustainable, and affordable. That is the standard Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama will continue to uphold, and it is the principle guiding our efforts as we work toward solutions that serve our customers today and strengthen healthcare for the future.
Dow Briggs, M.D., is executive vice president of Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama.
