UnitedHealthcare's (NYSE: UNH) negotiations with the nation's largest provider of emergency room doctors has reached an impasse.
The insurer is warning hospitals it may drop Envision Healthcare from its network starting in January if the two can't reach an agreement before then, according to a letter sent to more than 250 hospitals Friday.
A spokesperson for Envision Healthcare says the firm has been negotiating in good faith with UnitedHealth and criticized the insurer for reaching out to hospitals.
An official with Envision, "There were never any problems until now, when United demanded massive cuts to allow us to stay in-network. We have offered United a solution that helps with the affordability of healthcare, and yet United is making egregious demands that will force all of our physicians out of network.
"Unfortunately, United has been sending aggressive letters to our hospital partners filled with half-truths and inaccuracies. They've elected to use data for one group in one market and have presented it as the single source of truth."
UnitedHealth Group's insurance division first threatened to cut Envision from its network services last spring over what the insurer said were overly high rates. If no agreement is reached, the move would impact more than one million of United's members across the nation.
Because emergency room physicians and other specialists contract with health insurers separately from hospitals, the result can be that the doctors at an in-network hospital are actually out-of-network on an insurer plan.
UNH shares began Tuesday's session trailing Monday’s close by 69 cents to $266.67
