South Shore Hospital

South Shore Hospital will be out of network for Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO plans, effective Jan. 1, 2026; Coastal Medical Associates to be out of network for Medicare Advantage plans, effective June 15, 2026

South Shore Hospital left our Medicare Advantage HMO and PPO network, as of Jan. 1, 2026. We want to also update you that Coastal Medical Associates will be out of network for these Medicare Advantage plans, effective June 15, 2026.

As a reminder, South Shore Medical Center physicians are not in-network today for our Medicare Advantage plans. 

Here are a few things you need to know:

People enrolled in OneCare and Senior Care Options (SCO) plans will continue to have network access to South Shore Hospital and Coastal Medical Associates on and after Jan. 1, 2026

People enrolled in OneCare and SCO plans are not impacted by this change and will continue to have network access to South Shore Hospital and Coastal Medical Associates.

Access to South Shore Hospital is not impacted for people with Medicare Supplement plans

People enrolled in a Medicare Supplement plan can continue to receive care at South Shore Hospital as well as other providers on and after Jan. 1, 2026. They are not impacted by this change.

People in active or ongoing treatment for a serious or complex condition with a Coastal Medical Associates provider at the time they go out of network may be eligible for continuity of care

Continuity of care provides continued in-network benefits for a limited period of time after a provider goes out of network. Someone in active treatment for cancer at the time their Coastal Medical Associates provider goes out of network is an example of a condition eligible for continuity of care. UnitedHealthcare members who have questions regarding continuity of care should call the number on their health plan ID card.

UnitedHealthcare members enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare Group Retiree PPO plan may still receive care at South Shore Hospital or with their Coastal Medical Associates physician as an out-of-network provider

People enrolled in our Group Retiree PPO plan may continue to receive care at South Shore Hospital and Coastal Medical Associates providers as an out-of-network provider, should the health system agree to see them. Their share of the cost will be the same as if they were part of the network.

We encourage UnitedHealthcare members to speak with their provider 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<.

Our members will continue to have access to a broad network of providers throughout Massachusetts

People enrolled in our network for Medicare Advantage plans continue to have access to a large network of providers throughout Massachusetts. UnitedHealthcare members should call us at the number on their health plan ID card if they need assistance finding another hospital in our network in their area.

UnitedHealthcare members should go to the nearest hospital in the event of an emergency, regardless of the hospital’s network status. Their care will be covered at the in-network benefit level.