UnitedHealthcare, UVM Health Network dispute could leave 2,900 patients searching for care

Some 2,900 patients covered by UnitedHealthcare may no longer be able to see providers at the University of Vermont Medical Center and its connected hospitals, as the nation’s largest insurer and Vermont’s largest health network have been unable to reach a contract.

If the stalemate continues, hundreds of patients would be sent scrambling to find providers in a region with increasingly few options — and in some cases, no nearby alternatives for the specialists they require.

Among them is Eliza Graves, 34, of Jericho, who is about to begin chemotherapy at UVM Medical Center for a rare and aggressive form of cancer. Now, she said, she’s worried about starting treatment because she said UnitedHealthcare told her it would cover only about 30 days of chemotherapy.

“It’s life or death for me,” Graves said. “It’s criminal. It feels like a hostage situation, and they certainly don’t seem to care at all about the people that they’re affecting.”

Read more: https://vtdigger.org/2022/03/04/unitedhealthcare-uvm-health-network-dispute-could-leave-2900-patients-searching-for-care/