Lee Health’s hospitals and physicians stay in UnitedHealthcare’s network only through December 31, 2026, and on January 1 they go out of network for UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage members. Medicare Open Enrollment, the window for switching Medicare Advantage plans, ends December 7. That leaves southwest Florida members about six weeks to decide whether to move to a plan that still includes their doctors.
What changes on January 1 for UnitedHealthcare members
Lee Health’s notice to patients says its hospitals and physicians will be out of network starting January 1, 2027, for UnitedHealthcare employer-based, individual and Medicare Advantage plans. Lee Health stays in network for UnitedHealthcare commercial plans through December 31, 2026, and it asks patients to keep scheduled care in 2026.
The coverage itself does not end. Lee Health says a member’s UnitedHealthcare plan is not being terminated, only the link between that plan and Lee Health’s hospitals and doctors. For a Medicare Advantage member, the plan stays but the in-network doctor visit at Lee Health becomes an out-of-network one.
Lee Health says out-of-network benefits may apply, but members may pay more or face coverage limits. It also says insurers often require prior authorization, and that it has had limited success getting authorization from insurers when no contract is in place.
Anyone whose doctors are at Lee Health and whose plan is UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage now has one question to settle: which plan keeps those doctors in network on January 1? Lee Health says patients can check whether it is in network for a given plan at leehealth.org/insurancecoverage, or call its information line at 239-320-1234.
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Where the two sides stand
UnitedHealthcare’s page on the dispute, updated October 6, says Lee Health notified it in late August that Lee intends to leave the commercial and Medicare Advantage networks effective January 1, 2027. The insurer says the decision came without advance notice or discussions.
UnitedHealthcare calls an agreement that keeps network access to Lee Health its top priority. It says it has reached out to Lee Health leadership multiple times over several weeks and is asking Lee to return to the negotiating table.
The page leaves several member questions blank, among them why the split is happening, whether both sides are negotiating, and whether Medicare Advantage Group Retiree members can keep their Lee Health providers. It names no spokesperson. Members with those questions are told to call the number on their plan ID card.
Neither organization’s page says a deal has been reached. A signed contract before December 31 would change this picture, and members choosing a plan before December 7 have to decide without knowing whether it will.
Continuity of care and the plans that are not affected
UnitedHealthcare offers a continuity-of-care process for members in the middle of treatment. Members must apply and be approved, and they can apply any time from now through 30 days after a provider leaves the network. The number on the plan ID card is the route in.
Lee Health describes the same idea: patients in active treatment, such as those who are pregnant or receiving complex or chronic illness care, may qualify for in-network rates for a limited time. Lee Health also says that in an emergency a patient should go to the nearest emergency department, and that it will bill the insurer regardless of network status.
Medicare Supplement plans, also called Medigap, are not part of the dispute. UnitedHealthcare says those enrollees keep access to Lee Health’s hospitals, facilities and physicians even if Lee leaves the network, and Lee Health says it will continue billing those plans as secondary to Medicare. Lee Health adds that its Florida Heart Associates contracts are not affected.
Patients who already hold a 2027 appointment should not cancel it without understanding their options, Lee Health says. Those who want an earlier date can call 239-481-4111.
The December 7 route for switching plans
Medicare’s Find a Medicare plan tool lists Open Enrollment as October 15 through December 7 and points to 1-800-MEDICARE for phone help. The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services says in its 2027 plan announcement that the window opens October 15 and closes December 7.
CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz urged beneficiaries to use Open Enrollment as an opportunity to review their coverage. CMS also says no one needs to re-enroll to keep the plan they have, so a member who does nothing stays in the same UnitedHealthcare plan with Lee Health out of network.
The deadline therefore falls on the member. A plan that includes Lee Health has to be chosen by December 7, and the choice has to be checked against the plan’s own provider directory before then, because Lee Health’s network status differs by insurer and by product.
The weeks between now and December 7 are the stretch that matters. After that, the open question is whether the doctors a member sees in Lee County will still be in network on January 1.
Are the Lee Health doctors in network under next year’s plan?
Open Enrollment ends December 7, and CMS says a member who does nothing stays in the same plan. For a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage member, that means Lee Health doctors out of network on January 1.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, a provider call script and the Open Enrollment calendar. Part 2, The Drug and Doctor Coverage Check, is built for the question of whether a doctor stays in network.
Get the plan-comparison calculator and provider call script for the December 7 deadline →
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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.
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.
