SPRINGFIELD, Mass (WWLP) – Trinity Health of New England is no longer in UnitedHealthCare’s network and 22News is working for you with what next steps you need to take.
How the United Healthcare and Trinity Health situation is impacting local residents Due to both companies not coming to an agreement, Trinity Health of New England is no longer in UnitedHealthcare’s commercial and Medicare Advantage plan, impacting patients’ coverage and which doctors they can see.
As of July 1st, Trinity Health of New England is no longer covered in UnitedHealthcare’s network, meaning if your doctor is at Trinity Health, they are no longer covered through your insurance.
However, both companies did agree to a “cooling off period” at Mercy Medical Center. That means you can continue to receive in-network coverage at the hospital through August 31st.
United Healthcare provided impacted people with a list of hospitals remaining in the network, however, the only one in western Massachusetts is Holyoke Medical Center.
If you would rather stay with your doctor, there will be an increase in price and out-of-network expenses to do so. If you’re looking for a new doctor, UnitedHealthcare customers can call the number on the back of their insurance card to speak with customer care.
Both UnitedHealthcare and Trinity Health said they are committed to reaching an agreement. The insurance provider said they sent a new proposal to Trinity Health on July 17th. In response to 22News – Trinity Health confirmed they received the proposal but called it “incomplete.”
The cause of this conflict is back-and-forth negotiations between the two companies that didn’t end in an agreement before the July 1st deadline. When an agreement was not made, doctors under Trinity Health became out of network for those with UnitedHealthcare effectively immediately.
Trinity Health of New England said in a statement, they “rely on fair payment to provide the care and services patients depend on and need. Unfortunately, despite making billions, UnitedHealthcare chooses to propose increases far below market rates.”
On the other side, UnitedHealthcare said, “Trinity Health of New England refused to move off its demands for a more than 30% price hike that would take effect over the next 24 months for our employer-sponsored commercial plans”
We made several requests to speak to representatives from both UnitedHealthcare and Trinity Health on camera. Trinity Health agreed to speak with us next week. UnitedHealthcare has not yet responded to our request.
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