Baptist Health of Little Rock and UnitedHealthcare announced Friday that they reached a multi-year agreement over reimbursement rates that kept the state’s largest health care provider out of the insurer’s network since Jan. 1.
The agreement “ensures UnitedHealthcare’s members enrolled in employer-sponsored and individual commercial plans, Medicare Advantage and Group Retiree plans, as well as Dual Special Needs Plans, have access to Baptist Health’s physicians and facilities across Arkansas, effective immediately,” according to a joint statement.
Baptist Health said last month that it could no longer continue to accept low reimbursements from commercial health insurance companies and still deliver sound health care to Arkansans.
Baptist Health has 12 hospitals in Arkansas and more than 100 primary and specialty care clinics in the state.
Baptist said it and other hospital groups have faced “unprecedented” costs to cover wages, supplies and pharmaceuticals since the pandemic, but has seen stingy reimbursement deals from insurers.
UnitedHealthcare had said in a statement on its website that Baptist’s current rates are already higher than the average rate it pays other hospitals that participate in its network in Arkansas.
Baptist Health was out of UnitedHealthcare’s network for six weeks.
“Our top priority throughout the negotiation was ensuring the families we mutually serve have access to quality, affordable health care from the doctors and care providers they know and trust, and this agreement accomplishes that goal,” the joint statement said. “We thank you for your patience throughout this process and are honored to continue serving Arkansans who entrust us with their care.”
No similar agreement has been announced with St. Bernards Healthcare of Jonesboro. Its physicians and other health care providers, including those working at St. Bernards Medical Center, will move to out-of-network status with UnitedHealthcare if an agreement isn’t reached by March 1.
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