For Reichel, it means she\u2019ll need a special exception approved<\/a> by her insurance \u2014 something she says she\u2019s had trouble getting \u2014 or may need an entirely new team of specialists just to stay on her treatment schedule.<\/p>\n Reichel was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 33 years old. She\u2019s been in remission for about six years and regularly gets hormone-suppressing shots to reduce the risk of the cancer coming back. <\/p>\n \u201cMy wife worries a lot about me getting a recurrence, because I was really young and it was really aggressive,\u201d Reichel said. <\/p>\n Hospitals and insurers regularly renegotiate rates, but those discussions are usually handled behind closed doors and are typically resolved before patients feel an impact. <\/p>\n But in recent years, many negotiations have become more fraught, often spilling out into public view as both sides put out statements defending their position. When that happens, it\u2019s usually a bad sign for patients. <\/p>\n Jason Buxbaum, a researcher at Brown University, has been tracking disputes between hospitals and insurers since 2021. From June of that year through May 2025, about 1 in 5 hospitals had at least one public dispute with an insurance company, according to Buxbaum\u2019s preliminary findings. About 8% of the hospitals went out of network for the insurance company they were negotiating with, at least for a time. In total, roughly 500 to 600 public disputes between hospitals and insurers occur each year.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has accelerated in recent years,\u201d he said. \u201cThere\u2019s definitely a potential for folks to get screwed over.\u201d<\/p>\n The disputes have played out with some of the biggest names in health care. Insurance giant UnitedHealthcare warned members<\/a> could lose in-network access at NewYork-Presbyterian unless the two sides reached an agreement. The insurer also missed a June 30 deadline with Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, though a deal was reached the next day<\/a>. In Southeast Texas, Memorial Hermann Health System and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas are currently in contract talks<\/a> for commercial plans, with an April 1 deadline; Memorial Hermann ended its relationship with the insurer for Medicare Advantage plans on Jan. 1. Last year, Duke Health said it would leave Aetna\u2019s network if it didn\u2019t reach a deal \u2014 which it ultimately did<\/a> weeks later.<\/p>\n Leemore Dafny, a professor of public policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, said rising health care costs<\/a> are a major reason these disputes are becoming more common.<\/p>\n According to the American Hospital Association<\/a>, an industry trade group, total hospital expenses grew 5.1% in 2024, significantly outpacing the overall inflation rate of 2.9%. It slowed in 2025, although it remains elevated, the group said.<\/p>\n \u201cHospital prices have grown tremendously,\u201d Dafny said. \u201cSo you can imagine that the pushback from insurers against requests or demands for payment increases is going to be pretty fixed.\u201d<\/p>\n Insurers have tried to use tools like prior authorization<\/a> and claim denials<\/a> to tamp down on health care costs \u2014 but have faced growing public blowback over it, Dafny said. Now, she said, many insurers see contract negotiations as one of the few levers they have left.<\/p>\n \u201cSo what\u2019s left is let\u2019s try to pay less for things or let\u2019s actually try to potentially exclude high cost providers altogether,\u201d she said. \u201c It\u2019s [the] job as an insurer to provide access to high quality care and try to keep it affordable. And that might mean not rolling over every time a provider demands a price increase, even if the provider is dealing with rising prices itself.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"Natalie](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/260210-Natalie-Reichel-and-wife-gk-b2ca47.jpg\")
Natalie Reichel, right, with her wife, Red Faolan.Courtesy Natalie Reichel<\/p>\n