Negotiations between Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System and Aetna have stalled as the April 15 deadline approaches.
Spartanburg Regional said they are no longer in negotiations with Aetna due to what they call a “sharp departure from standard Medicare payment practices.”
Source: WSPA
Contract talks between Michigan Medicine and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan are headed toward a June 30 deadline that could affect patients beginning July 1 if the parties do not reach an agreement.
Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan says Michigan Medicine is demanding a 44% increase in what it’s paid over the next five years and warns that such a rise could drive up costs for families and employers. Michigan Medicine flatly denies that characterization, calling Blue Cross’s claim false.
Michigan Medicine says renewal discussions do not include the hospitals and health centers of UM Health-Sparrow and UM Health-West, nor the physician group U-M Health Partners. The health system also said Medicare Advantage and Medicaid plans, and the University of Michigan Health Plan that covers employees, faculty, staff and retirees, are not part of these negotiations.
Source: ClickOnDetroit.com
Negotiations between Mount Sinai Health System and Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield failed, resulting in thousands of patients in New York losing in-network care.
Anthem officials said in a statement that the sides reached an agreement and a contract was ready to go. At the last minute, Mount Sinai refused to move forward. Mount Sinai stated that Anthem refused to commit to contract provisions designed to protect patients from excessive denials, delayed determinations, and prolonged administrative disputes.
Both parties have indicated they are willing to continue negotiations.
Source: CBS News
An ongoing contract dispute has left both Broward Health hospitals — and many affiliated doctors — out-of-network with one of the state’s largest health insurers, Florida Blue, formerly known as Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Florida. The network contract ended on June 30, 2025.
Hospitals have accused Florida Blue of not paying them enough for care. Florida Blue, meanwhile, is accusing the health systems of wanting too much money.
Both Florida Blue and Broward Health have member microsites available about the dispute.
Source: Miami Herald via InsuranceNewsNet
Note: the parent profiled in the article lede probably could have gone to Broward Health Medical Center. Even though they were out-of-network, Broward Health’s evaluation and any stabilization measures they took would have been treated as in-network thanks to EMTALA, the ACA, and the No Surprises Act.
The impasse between Blue Shield and Fresno’s Community Health System continues to drag on. For nearly three weeks, 12,000 enrollees have been unable to get in-network coverage.
Blue Shield claims Community terminated the contract, but the healthcare system states the insurance company did not grant another extension.
Among those caught in the middle are 5,000 city employees. City leaders say it is time to cut Blue Shield out of the process and, instead, negotiate directly.
Source: ABC30
White River Health said that if a new contract is not finalized by March 31, UnitedHealthcare could move the health system out of network, a change that could lead to higher costs for patients. Patients covered by UnitedHealthcare commercial plans or Medicare Advantage plans are encouraged to review their options ahead of the deadline.
Source: White River Now
New York-Presbyterian Hospital exited the UnitedHealthcare network for individual and family plans on January 1, 2026. The network relationship for commercial insurance (including employer-sponsored plans), Medicaid, and Medicare Advantage plans also expired, but UHC and New York-Presbyterian were able to agree on an extension through March 31, 2026.
The extension does not apply to the individual and family plans, including those purchased via the exchange.
This also affects members of Oxford and Sierra Health Plans.
Sources: New York-Presbyterian, UnitedHealthcare
As of February 1, 2026, Community Medical Centers’ facilities are out-of-network for Blue Shield of California members. This includes the following facilities:
Both sides have indicated that negotiations are continuing.
Sources: Blue Shield of California, Community Medical Centers
Effective March 1, 2026, St. Joseph’s University Medical Center in Paterson and St. Joseph’s Wayne Medical Center in Wayne will no longer be part of the Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield Hospital Network, according to Horizon’s November 20th press release.
While negotiations appear to be in a stalemate, both parties are implying they are willing to keep negotiating. Horizon BCBS and St. Joseph’s have also created patient web sites with further information.
Source: NJ.com
After months of negotiations, LVHN said UnitedHealthcare has not engaged fairly and failed to honor previously agreed-upon rates. UnitedHealthcare said LVHN issued notice to end the contract and is demanding a price hike of more than 20% in a single year. Both organizations shared updates on January 21.
At this point, this only affects Medicare Advantage members. However, commercial members should monitor closely as that contract expires on April 25 — and the failure of this contract does not bode well for that one.
I will continue to monitor.
Source: Becker’s Payer Issues