Joint Health Care Committee Advisory  
UnitedHealthcare working to reach agreement with OhioHealth system

Network status of medical facilities, physicians may be impacted; Check in June for contract negotiation updates

May 30, 2008 - OCSEA members enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare medical insurance program should take note that OhioHealth's impending contract expiration could impact the network status of various physicians and several hospitals and medical facilities in Central and Southeast Ohio.

This week the Joint Health Care Committee (JHCC) was informed that UnitedHealthcare's contract with OhioHealth is set to expire on June 9, 2008, unless the two are able to reach an agreement on a new contract. The JHCC is a labor management committee responsible for monitoring all health care benefits — except vision, dental and life.

Contract negotiations are continuing and UnitedHealthcare tells the joint committee that they are still hopeful that a settlement will be reached without any disruption in service to UnitedHealthcare enrollees, including state of Ohio employees who have chosen UnitedHealthcare for their medical insurance coverage.

Any state employee enrolled in the UnitedHealthcare plan will not be affected by this situation under the following circumstances:

• The employee or dependent is in the second or third trimester of pregnancy;

• The employee, spouse or a dependent is being treated at an OhioHealth hospital for a chronic disease condition such as kidney failure; and

• An OhioHealth hospital provides emergency treatment to a state of Ohio employee or dependent covered by UnitedHealthcare.
  

If a settlement is not reached, hospitals operated by OhioHealth will not be in the UnitedHealthcare network.

This means that state employees who need to schedule hospital services will not have insurance coverage at these hospitals or their affiliated clinics, medical labs or outpatient facilities.

The effected hospitals are:

• Riverside Methodist Hospital (Columbus)
  
• Grant Medical Center (Columbus)
  
• Doctors Hospital (Columbus)
  
• Grady Memorial Hospital (Delaware)
  
• Dublin Methodist Hospital (Dublin)
  
• Hardin Memorial Hospital (Kenton)
  
• Marion General Hospital (Marion)
  
• Doctors Hospital (Nelsonville)
  

Physician services may be affected as well. Physicians who only have privileges at an OhioHealth hospital will not be considered part of the UnitedHealthcare network. UnitedHealthcare will work with these physicians to help them obtain privileges at other hospital facilities so they can continue to be covered in the UnitedHealthcare network.

Check back for a list of hospitals in the state that will continue to be part of the UnitedHealthcare network after June 9, 2008.

The state's joint committee continues to monitor this situation and will update and supplement the information on the DAS / Benefits Administration website and the union's website as it becomes available. Please check back regularly over the upcoming days and weeks until this matter is resolved.

The JHCC regrets that this situation has developed and hope that it will not result in any inconvenience to state of Ohio employees, union members, and their families.

Call 1-800-409-1205, if you have a question regarding this situation. You may also email your question to DASHRD.Benefits@das.state.oh.us.

See Related

DAS / Benefits Administration Department

UnitedHealthcare Website

OhioHealth Website

OhioHealth Hospitals, Facilities, Medical Labs