UnitedHealthcare and Hartford Healthcare Reach Agreement, Sparing Connecticut Consumers Turmoil

After almost a month of uncertainty for many UnitedHealthcare customers who rely on the massive Hartford Healthcare system for critical services, UHC and HH announced last week the resolution of their contract dispute.  Had the parties not reached agreement, thousands of Connecticut consumers would have found that their favored providers were no longer in-network with UHC, resulting in disruptions in continuity of care, or much higher out-of-network bills, or both. 

The contract dispute came to light on March 15, 2017, when UnitedHealthcare issued notices to its members advising them of its ongoing contract negotiations with institutional and individual providers in the Hartford Healthcare health system.  As required by law, UnitedHealthcare further cautioned its members that Hartford Healthcare providers would cease to be in-network under UnitedHealthcare’s health plans upon the expiration of their existing contract – April 15, 2017 – unless UnitedHealthcare and Hartford Healthcare were able to reach mutually agreeable terms for a new participating provider agreement. 

Over the following weeks, many UnitedHealthcare members understandably grew concerned about future access to their healthcare providers and the cost of receiving important healthcare services, in the event that Hartford Healthcare providers became out-of-network.  Due to the large presence of the Hartford Healthcare system and the size of UnitedHealthcare’s membership, an impasse could have had a disastrous impact on consumers enrolled in affected health plans.  This office was contacted by many consumers with concerns, and OHA provided reliable information, and coached consumers on their healthcare rights in the event of a provider contract terminations.

Over several weeks, OHA reached out to both companies on behalf of Connecticut consumers to share these concerns, and closely monitored the parties’ negotiations as the April 15 deadline approached.  Thankfully, both UnitedHealthcare and Hartford Healthcare recognized the critical importance of reaching a timely agreement, and continued to negotiate diligently, while also keeping OHA apprised of their progress.  Ultimately, the parties reached a final agreement for a two year extension of Hartford Healthcare’s participation in UnitedHealthcare’s provider network and avoided any disruption in the continuity of benefits for their members.  OHA commends both UnitedHealthcare and Hartford Healthcare for their earnestness in reaching a final agreement, as well as their collaboration with OHA’s efforts to keep consumers adequately informed and prepared during this difficult process.