Our commitment to you and your family’s health care needs

People enrolled in employer-sponsored commercial plans continue to have network access to Fairview Health’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians through Dec. 31, 2025. If we are unable to reach an agreement, Fairview Health will be out of network for commercial plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026.

This negotiation only impacts our network relationship with Fairview Health for our employer-sponsored commercial plans.

We reached an agreement that maintains continued, uninterrupted network access to Fairview Health for people enrolled in our Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree. People enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree, will continue to have network access to the health system’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians, regardless of the outcome of our commercial negotiation. 

Yes. Our goal is to reach an agreement that is affordable for you, your family as well as employers while providing continued, long-term access to Fairview Health. We continue to compromise and are committed to utilizing the remaining time on our contract to engage in good-faith negotiation.

Families are struggling to afford skyrocketing health care costs, which have also challenged many businesses’ abilities to continue offering their employees the health care benefits they count on.

We negotiate thousands of contracts with providers each year, the vast majority of which are resolved professionally and collaboratively behind closed doors with no disruption to care. Our goal during these negotiations is to provide you access to affordable health care while also reimbursing each health system at market-competitive rates so they can continue to provide the quality care you count on.

Unfortunately, a small number of providers demand significant price hikes that are not affordable or sustainable for people or employers. Fairview is seeking to increase its costs by more than 23%, which would drive up health care costs by $121 million over the next three years. This would make them significantly more expensive than any health system in our network in the Twin Cities, leading to higher premiums and out-of-pocket costs for our members while impacting the cost of doing business for local companies.

We are proposing meaningful rate increases that would continue to reimburse Fairview similar to other health systems throughout the Twin Cities. We will remain at the negotiating table as long as it takes to renew our relationship. We hope Fairview joins us there and provides a proposal families and employers can afford.

Our number one priority is providing you access to the quality care you need. If you are in active treatment for a serious or complex condition at a Fairview Health facility or with a Fairview Health physician at the time they go out of network, you are eligible for continuity of care.

Continuity of care provides continued in-network benefits for a period of time after a hospital leaves our network.

Some examples of conditions eligible for continuity of care include but are not limited to:

• Patients who are pregnant
• People in active cancer treatment

You must apply and be approved for continuity of care. Please call the number on your health plan ID card if you have questions about continuity of care, including whether you or a family member might be eligible. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to support you and help answer any questions you might have.

We know the care Fairview Health 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 is affordable for you, your family and local employers while maintaining continued, long-term network access to the health system.

However, in the event Fairview Health leaves our network, we want you to know you continue to have access to a large network of hospitals and physicians.

A few examples of health systems that remain in our network include but are not limited to:

• Allina Health
• CentraCare
• HealthPartners
• Hennepin Healthcare
• North Memorial 

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.