Lee Health’s hospitals and physicians stay in UnitedHealthcare’s network only through December 31, 2026, and on January 1 they go out of network for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage members. Medicare Open Enrollment, the window for switching Medicare Advantage plans, ends December 7. That leaves southwest Florida members about six weeks to decide whether to move to a plan that still includes their doctors.
What changes on January 1 for UnitedHealthcare members
Lee Health’s notice to patients says its hospitals and physicians will be out of network starting January 1, 2027, for UnitedHealthcare employer-based, individual and Medicare Advantage plans. Lee Health stays in network for UnitedHealthcare commercial plans through December 31, 2026, and it asks patients to keep scheduled care in 2026.
The coverage itself does not end. Lee Health says a member’s UnitedHealthcare plan is not being terminated, only the link between that plan and Lee Health’s hospitals and doctors. For a Medicare Advantage member, the plan stays but the in-network doctor visit at Lee Health becomes an out-of-network one…