Negotiations continue between United Healthcare and Huntsville Hospital

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. ( WHNT ) — The clock is ticking for the Huntsville Hospital Health System and United Healthcare to reach a new agreement.

The negotiations are already impacting two hospitals in North Alabama. As of Oct. 10, Helen Keller Hospital and Red Bay Hospital are no longer in network with UHC.

Patients said they are extremely concerned about what this means for their medical care moving forward. Since last week, many patients have had to decipher what services will and won’t be considered out of network if a deal is not reached between UHC and Huntsville Hospital.

While the deadline to reach an agreement system-wide is Nov. 15, other hospitals in the Huntsville Hospital Health System are being impacted ahead of that deadline.

That includes Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield and Red Bay Hospital in Red Bay. Other hospitals across the system will phase out of accepting UHC over the next few months.

According to the Huntsville Hospital System, this will not impact people on Medicare supplemental plans like AARP or Veteran Plans. However, according to a spokesperson for United Healthcare, the change impacts people in:

• Employer-sponsored commercial plans like UMR
• Medicare Advantage plans
• Individual family plans

This news has come as a shock for many people in our community who have United Healthcare.

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Laura Adams from Madison said she is finally getting treatment for chronic pain, but is now uncertain about her insurance coverage moving forward.

“Well, my doctor is going to be out of network starting Nov. 14, so I’m kind of in a rush to maybe get the care I need, or else I’m going to end up either having to pay more money for a different insurance or find a new practice altogether,” Adams said.

Adams said she hopes United Healthcare and the hospital system can reach an agreement before Huntsville Hospital’s deadline.

Both United Healthcare and the hospital system said that Huntsville Hospital Health System physicians are not impacted and will continue to remain in-network for members.

News 19 reached out to both the health system and United Healthcare for an updated statement regarding the changes that are now in effect for Red Bay Hospital and Helen Keller Hospital.

Both groups directed to the statement issued last week which can be found here .

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