Updated July 31, 2025

Capital Women’s Care allows contract to end; now out of network as of Aug. 1

Capital Women’s Care (CWC), which is significantly higher cost today compared to peer providers throughout Maryland and Virginia, refused to move off its demands for double-digit price hikes for our employer-sponsored commercial plans as well as Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans.

As a result, CWC is now out of network as of Aug. 1 for people enrolled in the following plans:

  • Employer-sponsored commercial plans
  • Individual Family Plans (IFP)
  • Medicare Advantage plans, including Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP) and Group Retiree
  • Medicaid 

We know CWC’s decision to walk away from our negotiation is unsettling. We recognize and appreciate that the relationship people have with their OB/GYN provider is not only important, it’s deeply personal.

Our goal has always been to reach an agreement that is affordable for people and employers. We proposed meaningful rate increases in the spirit of good-faith negotiation that would continue to reimburse CWC at more than fair and reasonable rates.

Unfortunately, CWC maintained its demands for unsustainable price hikes that would significantly drive up health care costs for families and businesses.

We will remain at the negotiating table as long as it takes to reach an agreement that is affordable for people and employers. We urge CWC to join us there. However, our top priority at this time is providing people with access to the care they need through continuity of care or a smooth transition to another provider, as appropriate.

We want our members to know if they are in active or ongoing treatment with a CWC provider at the time they went out of network, they are eligible for continuity of care.

Continuity of care provides continued in-network benefits for a period of time after a physician leaves our network. Some examples of conditions that qualify for continuity of care include but are not limited to:

  • Women who are pregnant, including pre-natal, delivery of the child and post-partum services.
  • People in ongoing treatment for conditions such as cancer.

UnitedHealthcare members with questions about continuity of care, including whether they might be eligible and how to apply, should call the number on their health plan ID card.

UnitedHealthcare members will continue to have access to a broad network of OB/GYN providers throughout the region despite CWC leaving our network.

UnitedHealthcare members should call us at the number on their health plan ID card if they need help finding another provider in their area.

They can also go to our provider directory at myuhc.com and search for alternative physicians participating in our network.

CWC is already significantly higher cost compared to peer providers in our commercial network in Virginia and Maryland, yet it is demanding double-digit price hikes that will further drive up health care costs for people and employers.

Agreeing to CWC’s double-digit price hike demands in one year for our commercial plans would make them more than 30% higher than the average cost of all other peer providers in our network in Virginia and Maryland.

To help illustrate the impact of CWC’s high costs on consumers, consider how much higher the following services would be when received from one of their providers if we agreed to their one-year proposal for our commercial plans:

The cost of a vaginal delivery from a CWC provider would be more than 120% higher – or over $2,600 more – than the average cost of other OB/GYN providers in our network in Maryland.

The cost of a C-section from a CWC provider would be more than double – or more than $2,400 higher – than the average cost of OB/GYN providers in our Maryland network.

CWC is demanding significant double-digit price hikes for our Medicaid and Medicare Advantage plans that are not affordable.

The states where we operate our Medicaid plans have asked us to support their efforts to provide quality health care coverage to their residents while also helping to contain rapidly rising health care costs. We take this responsibility seriously and are committed to being a good steward of taxpayer dollars.

CWC’s proposal would also significantly drive up health care costs for people enrolled in our Medicare Advantage plans while also impacting the benefits our Medicare Advantage members rely on.