Our commitment to you and your family’s health care needs
We know your relationship with your doctors are deeply personal and important. We recognize and value the care Johns Hopkins provides and are committed to reaching an agreement that maintains continued network access to the health system.
As we continue our discussions, we also want to provide you the information you need regarding next steps should Johns Hopkins leave our network.
Should we not reach an agreement, our number one priority is providing you uninterrupted access to the care you need. If you or a loved one are in active or ongoing treatment for a serious or complex condition at a Johns Hopkins facility or from one of its physicians at the time they leave our network, you are eligible for continuity of care.
Continuity of care allows people in ongoing or active treatment for a serious or complex condition at the time a provider leaves our network to continue accessing care with their provider at in-network rates until their treatment concludes.
Examples of conditions that would be eligible for continuity of care include but are not limited to the following:
- People in active treatment for cancer;
- Women who are pregnant
You must apply and be approved for continuity of care. For information regarding how to apply, whether you might be eligible, and much more, please call the number on your health plan ID card. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to assist you with all your health care needs.
You continue to have access to a large network of hospitals and physicians should Johns Hopkins leave our network.
We have a broad network of hospitals and physicians throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. that are readily able to provide high-quality care.
If you have questions or need assistance finding alternative providers in your area, please call the number on your health plan ID card. You can also use the provider directory at myuhc.com to search for alternative hospitals and physicians in your area.
We understand this is difficult, and we promise to keep you informed every step of the way as we work hard to reach an agreement that provides continued, uninterrupted network access to Johns Hopkins.
We have prepared the following FAQs to help answer any questions you or your family might have regarding our negotiation as well as important information regarding next steps, should Johns Hopkins leave our network.
FAQs
Many of you recently received a communication stating our current contract with Johns Hopkins remains in effect through Aug. 14. We have since agreed to extend our agreement, which provides continued network access to Johns Hopkins hospitals, facilities and its physicians through Aug. 24. In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, Johns Hopkins would be out of network, effective Aug. 25.
It’s important to note Johns Hopkins physicians do not currently participate in our Medicare Advantage or Medicaid networks. However, the health system’s physicians would be out of network for employer-sponsored commercial plans, beginning Aug. 25, if an agreement is not reached.
Johns Hopkins hospitals and facilities would be out of network beginning Aug. 25 for people enrolled in the following plans, if we are unable to reach an agreement:
- Employer-sponsored commercial plans
- Individual Family Plan (IFP)
- Medicare Advantage plans, including Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP) and Group Retiree
- Medicaid
Johns Hopkins physicians would also be out of network for employer-sponsored commercial plans, beginning Aug. 25. Johns Hopkins’ physicians do not currently participate in our Medicare Advantage or Medicaid networks.
Yes. Many of you recently received a communication stating our current contract with Johns Hopkins remains in effect through Aug. 14. We have since agreed to extend our agreement, which provides continued network access to Johns Hopkins hospitals, facilities and its physicians through Aug. 24. In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, Johns Hopkins would be out of network, effective Aug. 25.
It’s important to note Johns Hopkins physicians do not currently participate in our Medicare Advantage or Medicaid networks. However, the health system’s physicians would be out of network for employer-sponsored commercial plans, beginning Aug. 25, if an agreement is not reached.
No. This negotiation only impacts Johns Hopkins providers in Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C. Johns Hopkins provider locations in Florida will remain in our network, regardless of the outcome of our negotiation.
Yes. Our goal is to reach an agreement that provides continued, long-term access to Johns Hopkins. We continue to make numerous compromises and are committed to utilizing the remaining time on our contract to engage in good-faith negotiation.
Continuity of care allows people in ongoing or active treatment for a serious or complex condition at the time a provider leaves our network to continue accessing care with their provider at in-network rates, until their treatment concludes.
Examples of conditions that would be eligible for continuity of care include but are not limited to the following:
- People in active treatment for cancer;
- Women who are pregnant
You must apply and be approved for continuity of care. For information regarding how to apply, whether you might be eligible, and much more, please call the number on your health plan ID card. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to assist you with all your health care needs.
We know the care Johns Hopkins provides is not only important but also personal to you and your family. That’s why we’re working hard to reach an agreement that would provide continued, long-term network access to the health system.
However, in the event Johns Hopkins leaves our network, we want you to know you continue to have access to a broad network of hospitals and physicians throughout Maryland, Virginia and Washington D.C.
Some examples of hospitals that remain in our network in the area include, but are not limited to:
- Adventist Healthcare White Oak Medical
- Baltimore Washington Medical Center
- Franklin Square Hospital Center
- Grace Medical Center
- Georgetown University Hospital
- George Washington University Hospital
- Harbor Hospital Center
- Holy Cross Health
- Howard University Hospital
- Maryland General Hospital
- Medstar Washington Hospital Center
- Mercy Medical Center
- Montgomery General Hospital
- St. Agnes Hospital
- Union Memorial Hospital
- University of Maryland Medical Center
- Virginia Hospital Center
If you or a family member has questions or needs assistance finding alternative providers in your area, please call the number on your health plan ID card. You can also use the provider directory at myuhc.com to search for alternative hospitals and physicians in your area.
You should always go to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency. Services will be covered at the in-network benefit level, regardless of whether the hospital participates in UnitedHealthcare’s network.
If you are enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare Group Retiree PPO plan, you may still receive care at Johns Hopkins hospitals, facilities and with its physicians as an out-of-network provider, if they are a Medicare-approved provider that accepts the plan. Your share of the cost will typically be the same as if they were part of the network.
We encourage you to speak with your local hospital or physician to confirm they’ll continue to see you, regardless of their network status.
For additional information about our Group Retiree plan as well as information on how to find a provider in your area, please go to retiree.uhc.com.
Contract negotiations between providers and insurers are common. At UnitedHealthcare, we negotiate about 2,000 provider contracts every year on average. The vast majority of those result in renewed contracts with no disruption for our members, and also no external noise as the negotiations are handled professionally and behind closed doors.
Our track record of renewing contracts with providers is strong, as evidenced by the fact that we have a network of more than 7,000 hospitals and 1.7 million physicians. We are fully committed to engaging in productive, good-faith negotiation and remain focused on our goal of renewing our contract with Johns Hopkins so that our members have continued access to quality care.
We hope Johns Hopkins shares our commitment to reach an agreement.
This isn’t about money. We’ve reached agreement on financial terms. Rather, this is about language within our contract. At its core, this is about protecting access to care. As an in-network provider, Johns Hopkins should not have the discretion to turn patients away.
We have a responsibility to uphold our members’ ability to rely on our network for consistent, equitable access to care they need. Johns Hopkins is demanding language in its contract that would give them the right to refuse treatment for any employer it does not want to do business with. In other words, they are attempting to reserve the right to turn away UnitedHealthcare members at their discretion as an in-network provider. This is unacceptable.
Johns Hopkins is also demanding that UnitedHealthcare be responsible for claims they submit when the patient is not a UnitedHealthcare member.
We know this can be unsettling for you and can cause feelings of uncertainty. Our goal is to keep Johns Hopkins in our network. We will keep you updated on the progress of the negotiation, including updates we will share on this website.
We also encourage you to reach out to us if you have any questions or concerns about your coverage or whether a particular provider could be affected. Just call the number located on your health plan ID card.
We're here to support you and want to make sure you have all the information you need.