UnitedHealthcare and Denver-based HealthONE will go out-of-network if a new contract agreement is not reached by Sept. 1.
HealthONE is part of Nashville, Tenn.-based HCA Healthcare.
If UnitedHealthcare and HealthONE do not agree on a new contract, UnitedHealthcare members will lose access to seven HealthONE hospitals, as reported in a statement on UnitedHealthcare's website.
The contract negotiations affect members in Medicare Advantage plans, including group retiree and dual-eligible plans.
On its website, UnitedHealthcare said "our top priority is to reach an agreement that is affordable and ensures continued, uninterrupted access to HCA-HealthONE."
HealthONE requested an "unreasonable, double-digit price hike," UnitedHealthcare alleged.
"We recognize that HCA-HealthONE is an important care provider in the metro Denver area and have offered meaningful, market-competitive rate increases that will ensure HCA-HealthONE's hospitals and physicians continue to be fairly compensated for the care they provide to our members," UnitedHealthcare said.
A spokesperson for HealthONE told Becker's discussions with UnitedHealthcare will continue, and the system is hopeful it will reach an agreement before Sept. 1.
"We have been negotiating for several months, and are disappointed that UnitedHealthcare has chosen to mischaracterize our proposals and create wild estimations," the spokesperson said. "The truth is UHC is proposing below market rates at the majority of our hospitals and our negotiations have not yet included discussions about the cost of specific healthcare services."