The change comes after the insurer and the health system have not renewed their contract
The new work and delivery center for women and infants
Shannon Sullivan, president and chief of the Women’s and Infants Hospital, presents one of the 20 patients of patients in the new work and delivery center for women and infants.
- The Hospitals of Brown University Health in Rhode Island will no longer accept the MEDICAL ADMAGE plans from the UHC from July 1
- The change comes after the insurer and the health system have not renewed their contract, citing the differences in reimbursement rates and administrative policies
Patients covered by UnitedhealthcareMedicare plans will no longer find their insurance accepted to Brown University HealthRhode Island hospitals from July 1.
The change comes after the insurer and the largest health system in Rhode Island did not conclude an agreement to renew their contract after months of negotiation.
“In addition to a modest increase in the reimbursement rate to cover the costs of taking charge of their members, we have asked United to eliminate their administrative policies which deviate from traditional health insurance, such as unnecessary preliminary approval and use of use, which causes patient frustration and leads to an additional cost for our health care system,” said a Brown Health Wharton.
“Since the two parties held firmly in their posts, we have mutually decided to end our contract at Medicare Hospital Advantage from June 30, 2025,” added the press release.
UHC, however, disputes the version of Brown Health events.
“We proposed to extend our contract until the end of the year to provide the members of Medicare Advantage who continued to access the Hospitals of Brown University Health while we are negotiating. Unfortunately, the health system has refused and continues to search for price increases that would make them much higher than any hospital in our Medicare Advantage in Rhode Island, “said a statement by UHC spokesperson Cole Manbeck.
“We urge Brown University Health to share our commitment to reach an affordable agreement, people registered at Medicare Advantage plans have continued access to the network to its hospitals,” said the press release.
UHC also said that he is still negotiating with Brown Health, but Wharton said the negotiations had ended.
What does this mean for members of the UHC Medicare Advantage?
From July 1, patients covered by UHC Medicare Advantage plans, including the special double plan (DSNP) and group retirees, coming to Brown Health Hospitals In the Rhode Island – which includes the Rhode Island hospital, the Miriam hospital, the Newport hospital and the Hasbro children’s hospital – will be considered outside the network, which will likely lead to higher costs to receive health services.
UHC said less than 20,000 members will be affected by the change.
An exception is the people registered in the PPO plan for retirees from the UHC group, which will always consider brown health as an off -network supplier, but their cost will be the same as if they were in a network.
The change does not apply to Brown Health hospitals in Massachusetts – Morton Hospital in Taunton and Saint Anne Hospital in Fall River – which are under a separate agreement and where these patients will always be considered in a network.
Brown health doctors will also continue to accept the UHC Medicare plans.
UHC and Brown Health have pointed out that patients who use hospitals from Rhode Island for emergency services should always be covered by the insurer.