Sarasota Memorial Health Care System says it is very unlikely its Medicare Advantage contract with UnitedHealthcare will be renewed for 2027. If that holds, UnitedHealthcare could remove Sarasota Memorial’s hospitals and First Physicians Group practices from its network on Jan. 1, 2027. The current contract runs through Dec. 31, 2026, and Medicare’s open enrollment period ends Dec. 7.
Sarasota Memorial, known as SMH, describes the talks this way. It says it made multiple attempts to renew and that UnitedHealthcare turned down proposals with fair terms.
Who would lose in-network access
The change would hit UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members in the Sarasota area. According to SMH’s notice to patients, SMH-Sarasota, SMH-Venice, the system’s outpatient and urgent care centers, and First Physicians Group practices would all be out of network for those plans. SMH’s insurance list already marks both UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, the HMO and the PPO, as out of network on Jan. 1, 2027, and says the list can change at any time…