Infirmary Health Statement On UHC Contract Negotiations

Infirmary Health has released a statement regarding contract negotiations with UnitedHealthcare (UHC): “Infirmary Health’s commercial insurance hospital-services contract with UHC ended at 12:01 a.m. June 4. Therefore, effective June 4, UHC commercial insurance patients will no longer have in-network coverage for inpatient or outpatient services at Infirmary Health hospitals (Mobile Infirmary, Thomas Hospital, North Baldwin Infirmary and Infirmary Long-Term Acute Care Hospital), freestanding emergency departments, imaging centers and other hospital-owned facilities. At this time, the out-of-network status does not apply to Infirmary Medical Clinics or UHC Medicare Advantage plans. Patients and employers with UHC commercial insurance should check with their physician’s office to determine what hospital-related costs they may be personally responsible for if they choose to utilize an Infirmary Health hospital or other affected facility. Periodic negotiations between health systems and payors are normal business occurrences. Unfortunately, in this case, UHC, a partner of the for-profit entity UnitedHealth Group, has been unwilling to accept reasonable contract terms that recognize the financial challenges of operating hospitals and supporting services.”