UnitedHealthcare is telling Medicare Advantage members in three states that two health systems still in contract talks will be out of network on Jan. 1, 2027 if no deal is signed: Community Medical Centers in the Fresno area of California, and Aspirus Health in Wisconsin and Michigan. Both systems are named on UnitedHealthcare’s own negotiation pages, and both pages list Medicare Advantage plans among the plans affected.
The wording on each page is conditional, which is why the outcome is open. Talks are described as “good-faith” negotiations, and either system could still sign before the new year. Medicare’s window for changing plans for 2027 closes Dec. 7, though, and a member can only judge the risk by looking at the doctors and hospitals they use…