Ascension Wisconsin is again part of UnitedHealthcare’s network of hospitals, clinics and other providers, after the hospital system and the health insurer reached a deal on a new contract, according to an Oct. 14 announcement.
The new, multi-year agreement — announced two weeks after the old one lapsed — means that people with health insurance through UnitedHealthcare once again may see their Ascension Wisconsin doctors and other health care providers at in-network rates. That includes people with commercial, Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans through UnitedHealthcare.
The deal comes after a months-long contract dispute between the two sides, which came to a head on Oct. 1, when the previous contract between Ascension Wisconsin and UnitedHealthcare expired and tens of thousands of patients were told that Ascension Wisconsin doctors were no longer in network.
For two weeks, patients were forced to make hard choices, not knowing how long the standoff between the two sides would last. Some tried to switch doctors to ones in UnitedHealthcare’s network, while others looked for other health plans that would cover medical care from Ascension Wisconsin.
Some patients may have chosen to delay care or cancel it entirely, said Dan Sacks, associate professor of risk and insurance at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
“Those patients can come back to Ascension, but they likely have lost care that they otherwise would have gotten,” he said.
The contract dispute was over payment rates. Health insurance companies and hospital systems regularly negotiate reimbursement rates for health care services.
In previous statements, UnitedHealthcare said Ascension Wisconsin was demanding “unsustainable price hikes,” while Ascension maintained it was seeking “fair” reimbursement for the health care services its hospitals and clinics provide.
“Our top priority throughout the negotiation was to reach an agreement that was affordable for consumers and employers, and this agreement helps accomplish that goal,” said an Oct. 14 statement from Dustin Hinton, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of Wisconsin, in an email from a company spokesperson.
Neither the health insurer nor the health system provided details about the terms of the new agreement in their latest statements.
The agreement is effective immediately and is retroactive to Oct. 1.
Patients insured by UnitedHealthcare who received medical care from Ascension Wisconsin between Oct. 1 and Oct. 13 will be billed at in-network rates and should not be billed for out-of-network costs, said Ascension Wisconsin spokesperson Mo Moorman. He said the hospital system held the claims for medical services provided during that time frame and that they will be covered.
“We are grateful for the partnership and patience of those we serve as we navigated this important agreement,” said Daniel Jackson, CEO of Ascension Wisconsin, in an emailed statement.
UnitedHealthcare is in the process of mailing letters to its members, informing them that Ascension Wisconsin is back in its network, according to the insurer.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
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