Marquette is providing to employees on the university’s medical plan (UMR) an update regarding the active contract negotiations between UnitedHealthcare, which owns UMR, and Ascension Wisconsin. The existing agreement between the two organizations is set to expire Wednesday, Oct. 1.
If a new agreement is not reached by that date, Ascension hospitals and providers may no longer be considered in-network under Marquette University’s health insurance. The university is not part of these negotiations; Marquette, like many other organizations, is impacted only as a UMR customer.
Other negotiations between Ascension affiliates and UnitedHealthcare have gotten close to the deadline before reaching an agreement. If you have an upcoming appointment with Ascension or other immediate needs, consider identifying another in-network provider (i.e., Aurora, Froedtert, ProHealth) or otherwise have a back-up plan or be advised that the claim may be processed as out-of-network after Oct. 1.
For assistance with finding another in-network provider, contact UMR Plan Advisor at (800) 207-3172.
