Two of the country’s most recognized academic medical systems are heading toward the same October 1 cutoff with major Medicare Advantage insurers, though for different reasons. NewYork-Presbyterian remains locked in an unresolved contract dispute with UnitedHealthcare, one both companies have already extended once while a new multi-year deal is negotiated. The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center already reached a new agreement with Humana in July, but that agreement itself carves individual Medicare Advantage enrollees out of the hospital’s network starting the same date. For older Medicare Advantage members at either system, the difference between a still-open negotiation and an already-signed carve-out matters less than the calendar.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s September 30 Deadline With UnitedHealthcare
NewYork-Presbyterian and UnitedHealthcare have now extended their contract rather than let it lapse on the date UnitedHealthcare originally communicated to members. The insurer’s Individual Family Plan business already went out of network at NewYork-Presbyterian on January 1, 2026, after that narrower dispute was not resolved, a preview of what could happen to the far larger Medicare Advantage population if the current extension runs out without a deal.
NewYork-Presbyterian’s own patient notice, last updated August 27, 2026, states that coverage has been extended through September 30, 2026 for Medicare Advantage members while the two organizations finalize a new multi-year agreement; absent that agreement, the notice says NewYork-Presbyterian Hospitals and NewYork-Presbyterian Medical Group practices will be considered out-of-network for most UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage members starting October 1, 2026. NewYork-Presbyterian’s coverage-change notice UnitedHealthcare’s own negotiations page, updated a day later on August 28, confirms the same September 30 extension and lists Medicare Advantage — including Group Retiree plans — among the lines of business still under negotiation, alongside Medicaid, the Essential Plan, the Empire Plan and several employer-sponsored products. UnitedHealthcare’s negotiations page
Two carve-outs apply regardless of how the main negotiation ends. NewYork-Presbyterian’s notice specifies that AARP Medigap and Supplemental policies and Group Retiree PPO plans are excluded from the potential change, and that physicians with ColumbiaDoctors and Weill Cornell Medicine are expected to stay in-network even without a deal — though the hospital cautions that facility-based services performed there, including diagnostic testing, surgery and inpatient admissions, could still fall outside the agreement even when the treating physician remains covered.
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Ohio State’s Narrower Exit From Humana’s Individual Plans
Ohio State’s situation is not a live negotiation. Humana’s own newsroom statement, posted July 2, 2026 and updated September 4, 2026, says Humana and The Ohio State University “reached an agreement to remain in-network for Humana Medicaid and Group Medicare, effective immediately.” Humana’s statement on the agreement The statement quotes Market President Adam Sayer describing the agreement as reflecting a shared goal between the two organizations of open communication and high-quality, trusted care for Humana members. The same statement specifies what the agreement does not cover: “The Ohio State University facilities will be considered out-of-network for individual Medicare Advantage members, effective October 1, 2026.”
That structure is the mirror image of NewYork-Presbyterian’s dispute, where a Group Retiree carve-out is what stays protected. At Ohio State, it is Humana’s Medicaid and employer- or union-sponsored Group Medicare members who keep their current access; people who bought an individual Humana Medicare Advantage policy on their own are the ones losing in-network status at Wexner Medical Center, The James Cancer Center and OSU-affiliated physicians on October 1.
Which Specific Humana Plans Lose In-Network Status October 1
Ohio State’s own insurance-acceptance page lists the individual Medicare Advantage products affected as of October 1, 2026, among them HumanaChoice (PPO), HumanaChoice (Regional PPO), HumanaChoice Giveback (PPO), Humana Gold Plus (HMO), Humana Gold Plus (HMO-POS), Humana Value Plus (PPO), Humana Full Access (PPO), Humana Gold Choice (PFFS) and the USAA-branded Humana Honor Giveback PPO plans. Ohio State’s insurance-acceptance list A member’s insurance card carries one of these exact plan names, and the hospital’s page tells patients to confirm their status directly with Humana before scheduling anything past September 30.
Continuity-of-Care Protections for Patients Already in Treatment
Both organizations describe a bridge for people mid-treatment rather than an immediate hard stop. NewYork-Presbyterian’s notice says that for most patients in an active course of treatment before October 1, scheduled appointments and post-operative care will still be considered in-network through December 29, 2026, and that a patient who is pregnant remains in-network for the duration of the pregnancy and delivery-related postpartum care. Humana’s statement says affected individual Medicare Advantage members are “receiving continuity of care support, which includes personalized assistance to transition to other in-network providers,” and that members with certain medical conditions may qualify to keep seeing their Ohio State provider at the in-network benefit level for a defined period. At either system, that exception has to be requested — neither notice describes it as automatic.
The Annual Enrollment Period as the Actual Fix Window
For Medicare Advantage members whose current plan will not work once October 1 arrives, the calendar offers one real reset: the Medicare Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 through December 7, the window in which anyone enrolled in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch for coverage that starts January 1. NewYork-Presbyterian’s notice directs affected members to medicare.gov/plan-compare to review alternatives, or to call 1-800-633-4227 for help from a Medicare representative. medicare.gov/plan-compare Humana directs its individual Medicare members with questions to the toll-free number on the back of their member ID card, staffed 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday. As of this week, neither NewYork-Presbyterian nor Ohio State has announced a new agreement that would keep the October 1 date from taking effect.
This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by The Financial Wire editorial team.
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David M. Keller is a finance writer based in Columbus, Ohio, covering personal finance and consumer-focused economic topics. He earned his degree in journalism from Ohio University and began his career reporting on local business and economic trends for a regional media outlet. Since then, he has contributed to a variety of online publications, focusing on clear, practical coverage of topics such as cost of living, debt, and everyday financial decision-making.
