The insurance company says the hospital is price gouging; the hospital says the insurance company is stiffing them. The result could put lives in danger. Almost 90,000 people – including many Kitsap County patients – are caught in the middle of contract negotiations between hospital system Virginia Mason Franciscan Health and insurance provider United Healthcare. Talks have been ongoing since late November, and while both say they are “bargaining in good faith,” neither is budging ahead of the New Year’s Day deadline.