HARTFORD, Conn. (WFSB) – Thousands of people in Connecticut may have to change doctors next month if they don’t want to pay out-of-network prices.
UnitedHealthcare’s contract with Hartford Healthcare is set to expire at midnight on March 31st. This would impact dozens of Hartford Healthcare facilities across Connecticut.
Mary Cotter in Mystic is just one example of someone this would affect. She’s been seeing the same primary care doctor for 30 years, but he will become out of network if the contract expires.
“It’s not easy to start up with a new doctor, a new provider and to establish that relationship, that trust,” said Cotter. “Some of us are under a lot of stress just dealing with our health conditions, and we don’t need to worry about our insurance yanking our providers out from under us.”
Both UnitedHealthcare and Hartford Healthcare have set up web pages to explain their side of the contract battle.
Hartford Healthcare argues UnitedHealthcare is offering rates that do not cover their costs and will impact their ability to recruit staff.
UnitedHealthcare claims Hartford Healthcare is seeking a 20% price hike that would drive up healthcare costs.
The dispute has cotter feeling stuck in the middle.
“We are pawns. There’s no question about it. We don’t have any control. We don’t have a voice in the matter,” said Cotter.
If this all sounds familiar, last summer the I-Team covered the contract negotiations between Trinity Health and UnitedHealthcare.
Trinity and UnitedHealth went about 7 weeks without a contract causing confusion and stress among patients.
Cotter believes this type of contract situation shouldn’t become the norm.
“They shouldn’t put the patients through this. They shouldn’t bring us to a point of adding this extra burden of worry and stress to what we’re already dealing with,” said Cotter.
The I-Team asked both Hartford Healthcare and UnitedHealthcare for the latest on contract negotiations.
A spokesperson from Hartford Healthcare provided the below statement:
“We are very aware of the impact negotiations have on the communities and patients we serve. We are working diligently to resolve remaining issues to ensure a mutually agreeable contract and believe we can reach a resolution soon. You can find additional information on our website at https://hartfordhealthcare.org/united.”
For now, nothing has changed and United members can continue to receive care at Hartford HealthCare at in-network rates and benefit levels.”
A UnitedHealthcare spokesperson provided the below statement:
“HHC continues to seek price hikes for our commercial plans that are approximately double the health care cost benchmark established by the state. HHC is also proposing to be reimbursed significantly more than any health system in our Medicare Advantage network in Connecticut. Altogether, HHC’s proposal would increase health care costs by nearly $200 million for consumers and employers. It remains our top priority to reach an agreement but we need HHC to approach the negotiation with a realistic proposal Connecticut families can afford.”
If the contract expires, not all patients will immediately become out of network on April 1st. There are some exceptions for certain policies, and people in the middle of treatment can also apply for something called continuity of care. Patients should call the number on the back of their insurance cards to get answers about their specific situations.
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