{"id":408401,"date":"2026-01-15T08:38:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:38:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408401\/"},"modified":"2026-01-15T08:38:28","modified_gmt":"2026-01-15T08:38:28","slug":"pain-in-the-neck-for-michigan-patients-as-unitedhealthcare-corewell-battle","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/408401\/","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Pain in the neck\u2019 for Michigan patients as UnitedHealthcare, Corewell battle"},"content":{"rendered":"

UnitedHealthcare is phasing out its coverage across Corewell Health\u2019s hospitals in southeast Michigan amid contract negotiations\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Hospital officials say about 125,000 patients could be impacted statewide as UHC pushes for \u2018market-competitive\u2019 rate increases<\/p>\n

While insurer and provider disputes are routine, patients are now left wondering about what comes next<\/p>\n

Debra Grinnell of Dearborn is dealing with several complex health conditions at the same time.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Fibromyalgia has left her riddled in chronic pain. She\u2019s had multiple surgeries on her spine and knee replacements, leaving rods, screws and cement throughout her body. She\u2019s hard of hearing, has kidney disease and high blood pressure. Her conditions have caused her to leave the workforce.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s humiliating more than anything,\u201d the former respiratory therapist told Bridge Michigan. Grinnell said she frequently sees doctors at Corewell Health near her home to treat her chronic conditions.<\/p>\n

But her family\u2019s health insurance provider has left her and her husband confused about their ability to carry on seeing their physicians.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m seeing a train wreck coming in the distance,\u201d said her husband, Joseph Grinnell.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In November, Grinnell got a text message from the carrier of his employer-provided plan, UnitedHealthcare, about ongoing contract negotiations with Corewell Health that would jeopardize his ability to see specialists in his area. Grinnell, who works for a car rental company, has issues with kidney function and high blood pressure.<\/p>\n

Related: <\/p>\n

\u201cJust looking for other doctors is a huge, huge, huge pain in the neck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

The Grinnells\u2019 dilemma underscores the fallout from the ongoing and increasingly public negotiations between Michigan\u2019s largest hospital system and the nation\u2019s leading health insurer. After failing to reach an agreement by the start of this year, UnitedHealthcare is phasing out its coverage across many of Corewell Health\u2019s 21 hospitals in Michigan<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"exteriorCorewell Health Taylor Hospital (Eli Newman \/ Bridge Michigan) <\/p>\n

As of Jan. 1, Corewell hospitals in the southeast Michigan cities of Dearborn, Taylor, Wayne and Trenton are no longer in-network for UHC employer-sponsored commercial plans and Individual Family Plans. Corewell officials say if the situation isn\u2019t resolved, additional facilities in Michigan will be out-of-network for many plans, potentially affecting about 125,000 patients across the state.<\/p>\n

UHC said patients receiving care for a \u201cserious or complex condition,\u201d like pregnant women and those undergoing cancer treatment, may still be eligible for in-network benefits for some period of time.<\/p>\n

Corewell spokesperson Mark Geary said in an email that the health system is \u201cactively talking with UHC and we are committed to finding the best solution for our patients.\u201d<\/p>\n

Executives at UHC said the out-of-network status of the four hospitals follows Corewell\u2019s \u201crefusal to move off its demands for a double-digit price hike\u201d and that local employers would be burdened with the hospitals\u2019 cost increase.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are proposing rate increases that continue to reimburse Corewell at market-competitive rates and also proposed to extend our contract, which would have allowed continued access to the health system while we continue to negotiate. Corewell refused,\u201d said UnitedHealthcare Michigan CEO Dustin Hinton in a statement to Bridge.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWhile we remain committed to good-faith negotiation with Corewell, our primary focus at this time is providing our members access to the care they need through either continuity of care or supporting them as they transition to new care providers.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"ExteriorCorewell Health Dearborn Hospital (Eli Newman \/ Bridge Michigan)<\/p>\n

Those familiar with disputes between insurers and providers note that rate negotiations occur with regular frequency for multi-year contracts. Topics often center on determining fee-for-service<\/a> rates, patient outcomes, bundled payments and value-based purchasing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cContracts are voluminous in terms of both the number that hospitals have and the details that are included in them,\u201d said Laura Appel, executive vice president, government relations and public policy, at the Michigan Health & Hospital.<\/p>\n

UHC has seen similar<\/a> disputes<\/a> crop up across the country, with some negotiations resolving before 2026, including those with MyMichigan Health<\/a>, a system associated with the University of Michigan, and Bronson Healthcare<\/a>, which operates several facilities in southwest Michigan and northern Indiana.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis agreement represents a shared commitment to offering high quality healthcare that is both convenient and affordable for people in the communities we serve,\u201d said Ryan Horn, senior vice president and chief revenue officer for Bronson, in a statement upon reaching a deal.<\/p>\n

Debra Grinnell is not sure who to blame in this situation, but chided both organizations for being \u201cunprofessional\u201d for having the dispute out in the open. Her husband hopes for more movement on the issue.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIf only me and a couple other people say something on YouTube and Facebook, that doesn\u2019t fix anything,\u201d Joseph Grinnell said. \u201cBut if they could be overwhelmed with email from 100,000 people suffering the same exact thing, I think it will make a difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n\tRelated\n<\/p>\n

Thank you to our Michigan Health Watch Sponsors<\/p>\n

Michigan Health Watch is made possible by generous financial support from our sponsors.\u00a0Please visit the\u00a0About<\/a>\u00a0page for more information and to subscribe to Michigan Health Watch. Interested in becoming a sponsor?\u00a0Contact Emma Carr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Republish This Story<\/p>\n

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