GAINESVILLE, Fla. (WCJB) – A dispute over health care reimbursement could jeopardize the health insurance plans of thousands of families in North Central Florida.
University of Florida Health and United Healthcare are currently negotiating reimbursement, and the deadline is Sunday.
80,000 UF Health patients in Gainesville and Jacksonville received a letter in July explaining what would happen if the two sides failed to reach an agreement.
Several people have contacted TV20 to report that their upcoming doctor’s appointments or surgeries have been postponed.
“We will continue to do everything humanly possible to stay in this network,” said Dr. Marvin Dewar, CEO of UF Health Physicians.
He is following the negotiations closely and says UF Health has not received an increase in payments from United Healthcare in a decade.
“I think every listener understands that the cost of everything is not what it was ten years ago,” he told TV20.
He says UF Health is demanding a “fair trial” and cites increases in wages and care. Dewar said United’s original demand was to make cuts.
We asked United for an on-camera interview, but instead received price projections. Company officials say it’s not affordable for families given what they call a “25% price increase” demand from UF Health. These include:
The cost of a cesarean section would increase by more than $4,000 at Shands Gainesville. At Shands Jacksonville, the same service would cost more than $5,000, and the insertion of a permanent pacemaker would cost $12,000 more at Shands Gainesville.
In a statement, United Healthcare said: “Our top priority remains to reach an agreement that ensures continued, uninterrupted access to UF Health.”
Some families told TV20 they would be willing to pay for the services out of their own pocket – or they would do it themselves, but so far they have not been allowed to do so. Dewar says that will happen soon.
“We want to make sure we have a way to adequately inform them about the choice they are making, because we don’t want people to get stuck,” Dr. Dewar said.
Both sides say they are working to give some patients the option to continue their treatment — a so-called continuity of care — even if no agreement is reached. These include pregnant women, newly diagnosed and current or relapsed cancer patients, and transplant recipients.
Dewar wants people to know that his patients are his top priority. “It’s about relationships and who cares about you, and that’s hard for them,” he said.
Full statement from United Healthcare to TV20:
Should UF Health leave our network, our members will continue to have access to a broad network of providers that includes thousands of physicians and more than a dozen hospitals in the affected areas, including but not limited to:
- AdventHealth Palm Coast
- AdventHealth Palm Coast Parkway
- Optional extras
- Ascension St. Vincents South Side
- Baptist Medical Center
- Baptist Medical Center Beaches
- Baptist Medical Center-Nassau
- HCA Florida Memorial Hospital
- HCA Florida North Florida Hospital
- HCA Florida Orange Park Hospital
- Mayo Clinic Florida
- Wolfson Children’s Hospital
United Healthcare has published this FAQ page for patients
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