Ascension NE Wisconsin - St. Elizabeth Campus in Appleton. PC: Fox 11 Online
(WTAQ-WLUK) — Some patients of Ascension Wisconsin are at risk of losing in-network insurance coverage on Wednesday.
Ascension’s contract with UnitedHealthcare expires on Tuesday. If a new deal is not reached, Ascension’s hospitals and providers will be out of network for people enrolled in certain plans.
In a statement on its website, Ascension Wisconsin says:
Ascension Wisconsin has put forward fair, reasonable contract terms that reflect the real costs of providing care to UHC members. In contrast, UHC has introduced proposals that represent a drastic shift from our current agreement — changes that appear designed to protect their profits at the expense of patients who rely on their coverage.
We are still at the table. We are ready to sign a fair, competitive contract that ensures your care is covered. But we cannot and will not accept terms that threaten the quality and sustainability of care in our community.
UHC says on its website:
Despite our repeated efforts to compromise, Ascension Wisconsin … has continued to maintain its demands for unsustainable price hikes that are not affordable and would increase health care costs by nearly $38 million for consumers and employers in Wisconsin.
Rather than accepting our proposal to extend our contract to continue our discussions, Ascension refused and has chosen to put our members in the middle of this negotiation.
Our top priority is to reach an agreement that is affordable for consumers and employers while providing continued, uninterrupted network access to Ascension’s hospitals and providers. We hope Ascension shares our commitment and works with us on solutions that are affordable for consumers and employers in Wisconsin.
Ascension’s facilities in Northeast Wisconsin include Ascension NE Wisconsin – St. Elizabeth Hospital in Appleton, Ascension NE Wisconsin – Mercy Hospital in Oshkosh and Ascension Calumet Hospital in Chilton.
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