Three Major Hospital Systems Face a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage Deadline on September 1

Three academic medical systems across three states are approaching a simultaneous September 1 deadline with UnitedHealthcare that could drop them from the insurer's Medicare Advantage network at the same moment.

NewYork-Presbyterian and UnitedHealthcare have extended their agreement six times while negotiations continued. Under the current extension, NYP hospitals and affiliated physician groups remain in network through August 31. Without a deal by then, most UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members will lose in-network access to NYP starting September 1. Providers affiliated with ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine are expected to remain in network.

In East Texas, UT Health East Texas faces the same deadline. The system serves a large patient population, including many seniors, who carry UnitedHealthcare insurance.

In Miami, UHealth reached a commercial plan settlement with UnitedHealthcare in early August 2026 covering employer-sponsored and marketplace members, but a separate Medicare Advantage Preferred Care Network agreement for UHealth physicians and facilities remained unresolved as of mid-August.

All three systems have cited a gap between Medicare Advantage reimbursement rates and actual care costs as the central issue in negotiations.

Medicare Advantage members at any of these systems should contact their plan to understand out-of-network benefits, request continuity-of-care consideration in writing if they are mid-treatment for a serious condition, and watch for any notice from CMS about a Special Enrollment Period. Members not in active treatment may need to wait for the Annual Enrollment Period, October 15 through December 7, to make a plan change.