Johns Hopkins Medicine and UnitedHealthcare: What You Need to Know
Updated September 22, 2025
Since August 25, 2025, any provider or facility that is part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, EXCEPT FOR Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, has been considered out of network by UnitedHealthcare.
Despite our best efforts to find common ground over eight months of negotiations, Johns Hopkins Medicine and UnitedHealthcare have concluded contract negotiations without reaching an agreement. This was not about money or small administrative issues. UnitedHealthcare refused to agree to reasonable terms that would ensure you receive the care you need, when you need it, without excessive delays or denials. We could not sign a contract that allows an insurance company to prioritize their profits over our patients’ health.
United's current practices create real barriers to your care:
- Excessive prior authorization requirements that delay the treatment you need.
- Frequent treatment denials that force you and your doctors to fight for care.
- Administrative burdens that take our physicians and nurses away from focusing on your treatment.
- Delayed payments that force us to spend time chasing compensation instead of caring for patients.
Our dedication to providing all patients with exceptional medical care will never change.
You can still see your Johns Hopkins provider and care team. However, UnitedHealthcare may cover less, or none, of the care that patients with UnitedHealthcare insurance receive from Johns Hopkins providers or at Johns Hopkins locations.
Please call UnitedHealthcare to understand how they will cover your care at Johns Hopkins now that we are out of network. We will work with you to navigate any insurance-related challenges to help you receive the care you need from your trusted Johns Hopkins team.
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Going out of network means that you are seeing a health care provider or receiving services at a facility that doesn’t have a pre-arranged agreement with your health insurance plan. Based on your individual insurance plan, using an out-of-network provider or facility might lead to higher out-of-pocket costs, or potentially no coverage at all, for those services.
It’s best to speak directly with United to understand what they will cover when your care team is out of network — in other words, what kind of out-of-network benefits you have. You can reach United by using the contact number on the back of your health insurance ID card.
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Since August 25, any provider or facility that is part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, EXCEPT FOR Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, has been considered “out of network” by UnitedHealthcare. This means you may have to pay out-of-network (higher) costs to see your provider. It is important to check with United to understand what they will cover when your care team is out of network. You can reach United by using the contact number on the back of your health insurance card.
If you are undergoing an active course of treatment for a serious or complex condition, pregnancy, terminal illness, nonelective surgery, or a course of institutional or inpatient care from the provider or facility, United may approve an extended period of in-network coverage for your care at Johns Hopkins beyond August 25. This is called continuity of care.
You are entitled to ask United for continuity-of-care coverage. Please call United directly using the number on your health insurance card to see if they will provide continued coverage and for how long. If documentation is needed, Johns Hopkins has a standard continuity-of-care letter that your provider can fill out for you to submit to United.
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No. Johns Hopkins has NO desire to turn any employer or patient away from our care EVER. We do need United to enforce our mutual contract terms with its own employer clients. United is simply refusing to do so.
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Starting August 25, any provider or facility that is part of Johns Hopkins Medicine, EXCEPT FOR Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida, has been considered “out of network” by UnitedHealthcare. This means you may have to pay out-of-network (higher) costs to see your provider.
If you have concerns about whether your care team may be affected, please call United directly using the number on your health insurance card.
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We encourage you and your employer to explore alternative insurance options during the upcoming open enrollment season. Johns Hopkins Medicine accepts a wide range of insurance plans that provide coverage for our services. A list of insurers we accept is available on our website at Hopkinsmedicine.org/patient-care/patients-visitors/billing-insurance/insurance-info.
If you are undergoing an active course of treatment for a serious or complex condition, pregnancy, terminal illness, nonelective surgery, or a course of institutional or inpatient care from the provider or facility, United may approve an extended period of in-network coverage for your care at Johns Hopkins beyond August 25. This is called continuity of care.
You are entitled to ask United for continuity-of-care coverage. Please call United directly using the number on your health insurance card to see if they will provide continued coverage and for how long. If documentation is needed, Johns Hopkins has a standard continuity-of-care letter that your provider can fill out for you to submit to United.
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The cost of your care is ultimately determined by United. If you are undergoing an active course of treatment for a serious or complex condition, pregnancy, terminal illness, nonelective surgery, or a course of institutional or inpatient care from the provider or facility, United may approve an extended period of in-network coverage for your care at Johns Hopkins beyond August 25. This is called continuity of care.
You are entitled to ask United for continuity-of-care coverage. Please call United directly using the number on your health insurance card to see if they will provide continued coverage and for how long. If documentation is needed, Johns Hopkins has a standard continuity-of-care letter that your provider can fill out for you to submit to United.
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All Johns Hopkins providers and facilities are affected EXCEPT FOR Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in Florida.
There is no change in United's coverage of care at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital. Patients with UnitedHealthcare can continue to receive care at that location with their current benefits, and there are no anticipated disruptions to coverage or care.
If you have concerns about whether your care team may be affected, please call United directly using the number on your health insurance card.
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Most Medicare Supplement and Medigap plans are not affected, but there are a few supplemental plans that require network participation. United’s customer service team is your best point of contact for understanding the specifics of your benefits. You can reach United by calling the customer service number on the back of your insurance card to learn more about your particular plan.
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We were in negotiations with UnitedHealthcare for over eight months to update important pieces of our contract, and we accepted their requests for extension five times. Despite our best efforts, UnitedHealthcare refused to agree to reasonable contract language that prioritizes patient protections and access, instead insisting that we agree to terms that would make it difficult for us to provide care.
This is not the outcome we have hoped for and worked toward. However, we wanted to make you aware of this change now to help ensure that you have the opportunity and time you need to explore alternative insurance options during the upcoming open enrollment season, if that is a viable option.
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While our negotiations with United have ended, it is still possible that we could come to an agreement with United in the future and return to in-network status. However, as of right now, United is unwilling to remove problematic language from their contract, language that allows them to continue to delay and deny care coverage.
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UnitedHealthcare’s coverage of Johns Hopkins Medicine ended August 25.