Huntsville Hospital Health System (HH Health) has made the decision to end its participation agreement with UnitedHealthcare. This decision impacts UnitedHealthcare’s commercial health insurance and Medicare Advantage plans but does not affect United’s VA managed care plan for veterans.

 

Patients with UnitedHealthcare insurance may continue to use Huntsville Hospital Health System as an out-of-network provider.

 

Important details for our retirees:

• Medicare Advantage Retirees: If Huntsville Hospital continues to accept Medicare, retirees with Medicare Advantage plans will not experience any impact, and their out-of-pocket expenses will remain the same.

• Out-of-Network Costs: Retirees using out-of-network services will pay the same cost share as if they were receiving in-network services, with no additional out-of-pocket expenses. For more details, refer to the summary of benefits.

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Timeline of Contract Termination:

• October 15, 2024: Helen Keller Hospital in Sheffield exits the UnitedHealthcare network.

• October 31, 2024: Highlands Medical Center in Scottsboro exits the UnitedHealthcare network.

• November 14, 2024: Huntsville Hospital and Madison Hospital become out-of-network.

• November 30, 2024: Decatur Morgan Hospital becomes out-of-network.

• 2025: The remaining HH Health System hospitals will exit the network.

 

Why This Decision Was Made:

Huntsville Hospital has been negotiating with UnitedHealthcare for over a year, seeking a fair contract. However, UnitedHealthcare has failed to fulfill its contractual obligations. Despite efforts, HH Health determined that ending the contract was necessary to maintain the critical services provided to the Tennessee Valley community.

 

Next Steps:

UnitedHealthcare subscribers with questions should contact UnitedHealthcare at 1-877-298-2341. Additionally, the CMS Medicare Open Enrollment period runs from October 15 through December 7, 2024. Patients can view plan options at Medicare.gov.

 

We will continue to monitor this situation and provide updates as they become available.

Please reach out to HR with any questions or concerns.