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

Our current contract with NYP remains in effect through Dec. 31, 2025. If we are unable to reach an agreement, NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians will be out of network for the following plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026:

• UnitedHealthcare and Oxford employer-sponsored commercial plans, including fully insured, ASO (self-funded) and level-funded
• Medicaid
• Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
• Individual Family Plan (IFP)
• Essential Plan
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP) (See below for more details)

NYP will definitively be out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage individual plans as well as Medicare Advantage Group Retiree plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026. We are not renewing our relationship for these plans.

People enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are not impacted by this change. They can continue to receive care at NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026.

In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, NYP will be out of network for the following plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026:

• UnitedHealthcare and Oxford employer-sponsored commercial plans, including fully insured, ASO (self-funded) and level-funded
• Medicaid
• Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
• Individual Family Plan (IFP)
• Essential Plan
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP) (See below for more details)

NYP will definitively be out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage individual plans as well as Medicare Advantage Group Retiree plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026. We are not renewing our relationship for these plans.

People enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are not impacted by this change. They can continue to receive care at NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026.

Yes. NYP will be out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage individual plans as well as Medicare Advantage Group Retiree plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026. We are not renewing our relationship for these plans.

People enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are not impacted by this change. They can continue to receive care at NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026.

Yes. People enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan are not impacted by this change. They can continue to receive care at NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026.

No. Both organizations have mutually agreed that cooling off will not apply, per the terms of our contract. If an agreement is not reached, NYP’s hospitals, facilities and its physicians will be out of network for the following plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026:

• UnitedHealthcare and Oxford employer-sponsored commercial plans, including fully insured, ASO (self-funded) and level-funded
• Medicaid
• Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
• Individual Family Plan (IFP)
• Essential Plan
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP) (See below for more details)

NYP will definitively be out of network for UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage individual plans as well as Medicare Advantage Group Retiree plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026. We are not renewing our relationship for these plans.

Yes. NYP’s employed physicians, ancillary locations and certain outpatient hospital services, such as speech therapy and cardiac rehab, will be out of network for people enrolled in the United Empire Plan (NYSHIP), effective Jan. 1, 2026, if an agreement is not reached.

Yes. Weill Cornell Medicine physicians and Columbia physicians are under separate agreements. UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in the following plans will continue to have network access to these physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026:

• UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored commercial plans and Oxford commercial plans
• Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree
• Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
• Medicaid
• Individual Family Plan (IFP)
• Essential Plan
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP) (See below for more details)

While Cornell Medicine and Columbia physicians will remain in-network, it’s important to note that the NYP hospitals they may seek to admit our members at will be out of network as of Jan. 1, 2026. Any member not approved or eligible for continuity of care, or facing a non-emergency situation, who is admitted to an NYP hospital by one of these physicians on and after Jan. 1, 2026, will have their care processed as out of network (please note that this is not applicable to Empire Plan members).

Physicians should admit our members to one of the many hospitals or facilities in the area remaining in our network, should NYP allow our contract to expire. If a physician only has admitting privileges to an NYP hospital and they go out of network, those doctors also have the opportunity to apply to obtain admitting privileges to another in-network hospital for our members.

No. If a member plans to receive services from any physician who uses NYP facilities for outpatient or ancillary services (such as diagnostic imaging or lab work), those services will be out of network. Check with your doctor and scheduling department before obtaining services such as the following:

• Lab work
• Diagnostic imaging
• Radiology
• Anesthesiology
• Pathology services

For example, you may need to use an independent lab such as LabCorp or Quest, as NYP labs will be out of network.

Yes. We are committed to utilizing the remaining time on our contract to reach an agreement that is affordable for New York families and employers while maintaining continued network access to NYP for people enrolled in the following plans:

• UnitedHealthcare employer-sponsored commercial plans and Oxford commercial plans;
• Medicaid
• Dual Special Needs Plan (DSNP)
• Individual Family Plan (IFP)
• Essential Plan
• Empire Plan (NYSHIP)

NYP is one of the leading drivers of rising health care costs for New Yorkers and local employers. The cost of inpatient care at NYP’s hospitals is the second-highest in our network in the country, and 53% higher than the average cost at other academic hospitals in New York City.

For example, it costs $42,000 more to have a baby via a C-section at NYP’s Columbia and Cornell hospitals compared to the average cost of other academic hospitals in New York City. The cost of a vaginal delivery is $33,000 more than the average cost of other academic hospitals in the area.

Despite this, NYP is seeking to increase its costs by 12% in 2026, which would drive up health care costs by $129 million. NYP’s high costs, coupled with its continued unsustainable price hike demands, are not affordable and would significantly increase the cost of premiums, out-of-pocket expenses as well as the cost of doing business for local employers.

Our goal is to keep NYP in our network. However, we need the health system to provide a proposal that New York families and local companies can afford.

Continuity of care allows people who are in active or ongoing treatment for a serious or complex condition at the time a provider went out of network to continue receiving in-network benefits with their provider for 90 days after they leave our 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

It’s important to note the continuity of care process differs based on the type of plan a member is enrolled in. For example, people enrolled in fully insured commercial plans, Medicaid, Essential Plan and Individual Family Plan (IFP) are eligible for continuity of care if they were in ongoing treatment with an NYP provider at the time they went out of network, regardless of their condition or services received. People enrolled in the above plans do not need to apply or be approved for continuity of care.

People enrolled in ASO and level-funded commercial plans as well as Medicare Advantage plans, including DSNP and Group Retiree, must apply and be approved for continuity of care.

Please see the following FAQs that provide additional details and explanations regarding continuity of care and how it works based on a member’s benefit plan.

UnitedHealthcare members should call the number on their health plan ID card if they need assistance or have questions.

People enrolled in UnitedHealthcare or Oxford fully insured plans sitused in New York, Medicaid, Essential Plan or IFP and were in ongoing treatment at an NYP hospital or with an NYP physician when they went out of network are eligible for continuity of care for a period of 90 days that begins on Jan. 1.

Consistent with New York regulations, people enrolled in fully insured plans sitused in New York are not required to be pre-approved for continuity of care nor do they have to fill out a form to apply for it.

It’s important to note women who are pregnant and were actively receiving services at an NYP hospital or an NYP physician when they went out of network are eligible for continuity of care. The continuity of care will be administered through the course of the pregnancy, including post-partum services.

Our top priority is providing people with access to the care they need at the right time. We encourage our members to call us at the number on their health plan ID card if they continue to be in ongoing active treatment as they approach the end of the 90-day continuity of care period so we can further assist each individual with their health care needs.

For questions regarding continuity of care, members should call the number on their health plan ID card. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to assist them and answer any questions they might have.

Continuity of care allows people who are in active or ongoing treatment for a serious or complex condition at the time a hospital or physician went out of network to continue receiving in-network benefits with their provider for 90 days that begins on Jan. 1.

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

People enrolled in ASO (self-funded) or level-funded commercial plans, or Medicare Advantage plans, including DSNP or Group Retiree, must apply and be approved for continuity of care.

Our top priority is providing people with access to the care they need at the right time. We encourage our members to call us at the number on their health plan ID card if they continue to be in ongoing treatment as they approach the end of the 90-day continuity of care period so we can further assist each individual with their health care needs.

It’s important to note women who are pregnant and were approved for continuity of care will continue to have in-network coverage with their provider through the course of the pregnancy, including post-partum services.

For questions regarding continuity of care, members should call the number on their health plan ID card. Our dedicated team of advocates are ready to assist them and answer any questions they might have, including whether they might be eligible for continuity of care and how to apply.

Any UnitedHealthcare member who was already approved for transplant services at NYP at the time they went out of network will continue to have network access for those services at NYP and does not need to separately apply for continuity of care. As long as a member has received an authorization for transplant care, they can continue receiving those services at the in-network benefit level.

We know the care NYP provides is not only important but also personal to our members and their families. 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 NYP leaves our network, our members continue to have access to a broad network of hospitals and physicians in New York City and the surrounding area readily able to provide high-quality care to our members. Some of the hospitals and physicians that continue to remain in our network in the area include but are not limited to:

• Brookdale Hospital Medical Center
• Brooklyn Hospital Center
• Flushing Hospital Medical Center
• Interfaith Medical Center
• Hospital for Special Surgery
• Jamaica Hospital Medical Center
• Lenox Hill Hospital
• Long Island Jewish Forest Hills
• Maimonides Medical Center
• Maimonides Midwood Community Hospital
• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
• Montefiore Mount Vernon Hospital
• Montefiore New Rochelle Hospital
• Montefiore Westchester Hospital
• Mount Sinai Brooklyn
• Mount Sinai Hospital
• Mount Sinai Morningside and West
• Mount Sinai Queens
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Bellevue
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Elmhurst
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Harlem
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Kings County
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Metropolitan
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Queens
• NYC Health + Hospitals-South Brooklyn Health
• NYC Health + Hospitals-Woodhull
• NYU Langone Hospital-Brooklyn
• NYU Langone Hospital Tisch
• NYU Langone Orthopedic Hospital
• Phelps Hospital
• Saint Joseph’s Medical Center
• St. John’s Episcopal Hospital
• St. John’s Riverside Hospital-Andrus Pavillion
• St. John’s Riverside Hospital-Dobbs Ferry Pavillion
• University Hospital of Brooklyn
• Westchester Medical Center
• White Plains Hospital
• Wyckoff Heights Medical 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.

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.