HARTFORD, CT — UnitedHealthcare is preparing to drop Hartford HealthCare from its network on Tuesday unless a last-minute agreement is reached, jeopardizing coverage for thousands of Connecticut patients.
The current contract between the insurer and the state’s largest health system expires Monday.
“I pray that on behalf of senior citizens that this gets fixed in a good way,” said George Thompson of Glastonbury, who relies on United for Medicare coverage. “Well you think you’re locking in for a 12-month period, and then November of next year, all the cards will be on the table.”
The insurer said it extended a contract offer Friday, but claimed Hartford HealthCare is demanding “price hikes for our commercial plans that are nearly double the healthcare cost benchmark established by the state.” United estimated the increase would amount to $185 million, or 20% over three years. The Office of Health Strategy sets the state benchmark at 2.9% annual growth.
Hartford HealthCare said its pricing reflects rising labor and supply costs and noted United’s 7.2% revenue jump and $15 billion in profits last year. “We are very aware of the impact negotiations have on the communities and patients we serve,” the provider said.
Patients like Thompson are now scrambling. He’s begun searching for new physicians, but has found few taking new patients. “The original appointments were so difficult to get, we’d probably be looking at 90 to 120 days to try to reschedule,” he said.
Some Medicare patients may qualify for 90-day continuity-of-care exceptions, and the Medicare open enrollment period remains available through Monday.
The dispute continues with no resolution announced.
