Following a contract dispute early in 2023 which left Northeast Georgia Health System patients with commercial UnitedHealthcare insurance out of network, the health system now says all negotiations have "ceased."
Steve McNeilly, chief operating officer of population health and vice president of managed care operations at NGHS, said the situation was "not the outcome we want for our patients."
"United’s senior leaders will not return our calls and refuse to talk with NGHS’ executive leadership," McNeilly said in a statement. "We have no choice but to focus our efforts now on clearly communicating with the communities we serve and helping patients who are impacted in the limited ways we can."
A request for comment from UnitedHealthcare was not immediately returned as of Thursday afternoon.
"We understand the anxiety United’s lack of cooperation has caused during these negotiations, and we appreciate the community’s support while we were seeking a fair agreement," McNeilly said. "Many of the local businesses that previously offered employees insurance through United changed their offerings, and many of the patients who could make a change during open enrollment have done so. We know it wasn’t easy to make those changes, and we are grateful for their loyalty."
While UnitedHealthcare couldn't be reached Thursday, a December update on the United website said reaching an agreement with NGHS remained a "top priority."
"Unfortunately, minimal progress has been made in the nearly eight months since NGHS chose to leave our network," United said in the December statement. "NGHS’ latest proposal actually moved our organizations farther apart. NGHS is seeking an approximate 25% price hike that would take effect over the first 24 months of our contract, including demands for a near 14% rate increase in year one that would make its hospitals the most expensive in Georgia."
NGHS previously told AccessWDUN it was seeking a single-digit increase, and that the allegations from United were inaccurate.
Those with commercial UnitedHealthcare can still receive care at NGHS Emergency Departments regardless of the status of a contract between the two entities.
