For several months, Premier Health has been working in good faith with UnitedHealthcare to renew our payor contracts for hospital and physician services. We have offered UnitedHealthcare several options that provide access to our organization at reimbursement rates that reflect the costs of providing medical care, but we have been unable to come to an agreement.

In the event we are unable to reach an agreement before July 1, Premier Health’s hospitals and providers will be out of network for people enrolled in the following plans:

• Employer-sponsored and individual commercial plans
• Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree
• Dual Special Needs Plans (DSNP)
• The Veteran’s Affairs Community Care Network (VACCN)

At the heart of everything we do is a simple promise: to provide compassionate, high-quality care to you and your loved ones, close to home. As we entered negotiations with UnitedHealthcare, we did so with hope - hope for a timely, fair agreement that would allow us to continue serving you without disruption.

Unfortunately, the process has been slower than anticipated. UnitedHealthcare's current proposals do not reflect the real, rising costs of healthcare today - costs we face every day in the recruitment and retention of skilled staff, in investments in life-saving technology, and in ensuring the care we provide remains exceptional.

As a non-profit academic health system, every dollar we receive is reinvested back into your care and our community. Accepting rates that fall short of even basic inflation - while also managing increasing administrative burdens and insurance denials — would strain our ability to deliver the care you deserve.

We are simply asking that all our payer partners, including UnitedHealthcare, recognize what it truly takes to keep care local, strong, and accessible to all.

Please know that we remain fully committed to continuing negotiations and doing everything we can to avoid any disruption to your care.

Here’s what you can do.

If you have commercial (employer-sponsored) insurance:  

• Talk to the HR department at your employer and ask them to explore their options. Premier Health remains in-network with all other major commercial (employer-sponsored) health plans in Ohio.
• Call UnitedHealthcare at the number on the back of your insurance card and tell them how important it is for you to keep your uninterrupted in-network access to Premier Health. 

If you are a Medicare Advantage patient:  

• Medicare Advantage Open Enrollment begins October 15. Call your broker, call the Centers of Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) at (800) 633-4227(800) 633-4227 to explore your options, or call RetireMed (an insurance broker that represents Medicare Advantage plans) at (937) 250-7637(937) 250-7637. 
• Call UnitedHealthcare at the number on the back of your insurance card and tell them how important it is for you to keep your uninterrupted in-network access to Premier Health. 

If you are a veteran:  

Call Optum VACCN to get a referral to another VACCN provider. Visit the VA website to find answers to any questions you may have. 

We accept many other insurance plans, and the list is readily available on our website.

We are actively meeting with UnitedHealthcare with the goal of renewing our relationship. We want to keep UnitedHealthcare in our network and are committed to engaging in productive negotiation.  If we do not reach an agreement before July 1, Premier Health would be considered out of network with UnitedHealthcare. 

We are encouraging patients to contact UnitedHealthcare to learn more about how this may affect their coverage based on their specific insurance plan. We are committed to working with local employers to assist with their group benefit offering as well as the Medicare Advantage enrollees.