by Mindy Aguon

Guam - After spending more than an hour in executive session, a vote to continue negotiations with TakeCare Insurance took less than a few minutes. The Guam Memorial Hospital Board of Trustees voted to hold on making a decision on whether to rescind an earlier decision to terminate the direct payer agreement with the insurance provider instead voting to continue negotiations and get an update during their next meeting on March 15.

Hospital management and TakeCare had come to an agreement on the company's denial of coverage but they still disagree on the provider's rate of paying the hospital. For the last several years, TakeCare has been paying $0.50 on every dollar. The direct payer agreement is set to expire on March 20, which could leave TakeCare's 30,000 members without coverage, meaning they would be self-pay customers.