Our commitment to you and your family’s health care needs
We know your relationship with your doctors are deeply personal and important, and we understand how disruptive it can be if your physician or local hospital no longer participates in our network. That is why we’re working hard to reach an agreement with ECU Health. We want to keep ECU Health in our network, but we also have a responsibility to ensure health care is affordable for the families and employers we serve.
While we remain committed to working with ECU Health with the goal of renewing our relationship, we also want to reassure you that you’ll continue to have access to the care you need should ECU Health choose to leave our network.
Ensuring you get the care you need
Our top priority is providing you and your family continued access to the care you need. That’s why we offer continuity of care, which allows UnitedHealthcare members in the middle of treatment with an ECU Health provider for a serious acute or chronic condition to continue receiving covered services for a period of 90 days after they leave our network. A few examples of patients who may qualify include but are not limited to:
- Women who are pregnant
- Patients with newly diagnosed or relapsed cancer, or those currently in active cancer treatment
If you have questions about continuity of care, whether you might be eligible and how to apply, please call the number on your health plan ID card. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready and available to assist you.
Offering a broad choice of hospitals and physicians
In the event ECU Health leaves our network, you will continue to have access to a broad network of physicians and hospitals throughout eastern North Carolina readily able to provide high-quality care for you and your family.
Our members can choose from thousands of physicians and specialists as well as several hospitals in the region, including but not limited to the following:
- Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center
- Bon Secours – Southern Virginia Medical Center
- CarolinaEast Medical Center
- Carteret Health
- Nash Hospitals
- Onslow Memorial Hospital
- Sampson Regional Medical Center
- Sentara Albemarle Medical Center
- Southampton Memorial Hospital
- UNC Lenoir Medical Center
- Washington Regional Medical Center
- Wayne Memorial Hospital
Please call the number on your health plan ID card if you need assistance finding another provider. You can also search for alternative facilities and doctors in your area at myuhc.com.
We’re here for you
We know this is difficult. We’re committed to making it easier. Please call us at the number on your health plan ID card if you have questions or need support. And please know we will stay at the negotiating table as long as it takes. We ask that ECU Health join us there and work toward an agreement that is affordable for North Carolina families as well as employers.
Frequently asked questions
ECU Health issued a notice to end our contract and is demanding egregious price hikes that would drive up health care costs for North Carolinians and employers at an unsustainable rate. ECU Health is already significantly higher than the average cost of all other hospitals in North Carolina, including other academic health systems in the state, yet it is demanding a near 60% price hike for our commercial plans.
ECU Health is also seeking significant rate increases for our Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans that would drive up overall health care costs.
We continue to compromise in the spirit of good-faith negotiation and are proposing rates that would reimburse ECU Health similar to their peers throughout the state. Our top priority is to reach an agreement that is affordable for people and employers while maintaining continued network access to the health system.
We are actively negotiating to renew our network relationship with ECU Health for people enrolled in the following UnitedHealthcare benefit plans:
- Employer-sponsored commercial plans, including UMR and Surest
- Individual Family Plans
- Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree and Dual Special Needs Plans (DSNP)
- Medicaid plans of North Carolina
Our goal is to utilize the remaining time on our contract to reach an agreement that is affordable for North Carolina families and employers while maintaining uninterrupted network access to ECU Health.
We are actively negotiating with ECU Health to renew our network relationship. Our top priority is to reach an agreement that is affordable while maintaining uninterrupted network access to ECU Health.
In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, all of ECU Health’s hospitals and facilities as well as Vidant Medical Group physicians would be out of network on April 29, 2026.
ECU Physicians will continue to remain in our Medicaid network through Feb. 14, 2027.
People enrolled in our Medicaid plan can continue to receive care at any ECU Health provider or facility even if they leave our network. We will reimburse ECU Health for the services provided.
We are actively negotiating with ECU Health to renew our network relationship for employer-sponsored commercial plans and IFP. Our goal is to reach an agreement that is affordable for North Carolinians and employers while maintaining continued, uninterrupted network access to the health system.
In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, ECU Health’s providers would be out of network on the following dates:
- April 29, 2026 – Vidant Medical Group physicians
- July 15, 2026 – ECU Health hospitals
- Nov. 1, 2026 – Kinston Medical Endoscopy
- Feb. 15, 2027 – ECU Health physicians
We are actively negotiating with ECU Health to renew our network relationship. Our top priority is to reach an agreement that is affordable while maintaining uninterrupted network access to ECU Health.
In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, ECU Health’s providers would be out of network for people enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, including Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) and Medicaid plans, on the following dates:
- April 29, 2026 – Vidant Medical Group physicians
- July 15, 2026 – ECU Health hospitals
- Nov. 1, 2026 – Kinston Medical Endoscopy
- Feb. 15, 2027 – ECU Health physicians
What’s next should ECU Health leave UnitedHealthcare’s network
Continuity of care allows UnitedHealthcare members in active treatment for a serious or complex condition with a provider at the time they left our network to continue receiving in-network benefits with their provider for 90 days after they went out of network.
Some examples of conditions eligible for continuity of care include but are not limited to:
- Patients who are pregnant
- People currently in active cancer treatment
In some situations, the continuity of care period could last beyond 90 days. For example, women who are pregnant and are approved for continuity of care can continue to receive in-network benefits with their provider through the course of their pregnancy, including the delivery of the child and post-partum services.
UnitedHealthcare members must apply and be approved for continuity of care. They should call the number on their health plan ID card if they need assistance or have questions. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to support them every step of the way.
People enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare Group Retiree PPO plan may still receive care at ECU Health as an out-of-network provider should they agree to see them.
The share of the cost will be the same for Group Retiree PPO members as if the provider was part of the network. We encourage UnitedHealthcare Group Retiree members to speak with ECU Health to confirm they’ll continue to see them, regardless of their network status
For additional information about our Group Retiree plan as well as information on how to find a provider, UnitedHealthcare members should go to retiree.uhc.com.
People enrolled in PPO D-SNP plans as well as Medicare Advantage PPO plans have out-of-network benefits and can continue to receive care at ECU Health after they go out of network, should ECU Health agree to see them. Standard out-of-network cost‑sharing, authorization rules, and plan limitations apply. UnitedHealthcare members should review their plan‑specific benefits.
UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage HMO and D-SNP HMO plans do not have out-of-network benefits.
Our members will continue to have access to a broad network of providers throughout eastern North Carolina should ECU Health leave our network. Some examples of hospitals that continue to remain in our network include but are not limited to:
- Bon Secours Southampton Medical Center
- Bon Secours – Southern Virginia Medical Center
- CarolinaEast Medical Center
- Carteret Health
- Nash Hospitals
- Onslow Memorial Hospital
- Sampson Regional Medical Center
- Sentara Albemarle Medical Center
- Southampton Memorial Hospital
- UNC Lenoir Medical Center
- Washington Regional Medical Center
- Wayne Memorial Hospital
UnitedHealthcare members can call the number on their health plan ID card if they need assistance finding another provider in their area. They can also use our provider directory at myuhc.com.
UnitedHealthcare members should go to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency. Their care will be covered at the in-network benefit level, regardless of whether the hospital participates in our network.