One week and still no health care coverage. Ascension Wisconsin and UnitedHealthcare have not agreed on a contract.
MILWAUKEE – One week and still no health care coverage. Ascension Wisconsin and UnitedHealthcare have not agreed on a contract. It has left thousands of Wisconsinites scrambling with their provider no longer in-network.Â
No contract worked out
What we know:
During the Finance and Personnel Committee hearing on Wednesday, Oct. 8, Milwaukee city leaders heard from a benefits advocate. That is because there are roughly 2,000 city workers impacted by the health care stalemate. Thousands of Wisconsinites are as well.
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City leaders say the health of Milwaukee is at risk if Ascension Wisconsin and UnitedHealthcare do not come to an agreement.Â
The deadline for the two companies to agree on a contract was Oct. 1. Since that has not happened, UnitedHealthcare is no longer in-network for Ascension.Â
What they’re saying:
The Finance and Personnel Committee did not take any action on Wednesday. But officials say they are keeping a close eye on the contract negotiations.Â
“People are moving to Aurora and other providers and the question is do you move back? Do you shift back? It’s just a lot of unnecessary stress when again, a lot of huge gains, huge corporations, millions and billions of dollars. I think they need to sit at a table and figure it out,” said Milwaukee Alderwoman Marina Deimitrijevic.Â
Margaret Reed of Glendale said she is just trying to make it to the end of the year without illness, injury or an emergency..
“A little bit scared,” Reed said. “There was no option for calling a helpline, no option for easily finding replacements for referrals in network.”
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Ascension Wisconsin statement
“We are actively negotiating with Unitedhealthcare in an effort to reach a fair and sustainable agreement that supports continued access to quality care for the UnitedHealthcare Commercial, Medicare and Medicaid members we serve. We recognize this change may be disruptive and concerning for our patients, and we are committed to helping those affected understand their options and continue accessing the care they need. We encourage patients to visit healthcare.ascension.org/uhcwi for information.”
The Source: Information in this post was provided by Ascension Wisconsin, UnitedHealthcare and previous FOX6 News coverage.Â