Lee Health, the Fort Myers hospital system, says it will leave UnitedHealthcare’s networks on Jan. 1, 2027, including the Medicare Advantage network, unless the two sides sign a new contract first. UnitedHealthcare’s member page says Lee Health “intends to leave” its commercial and Medicare Advantage networks and notified the insurer in late August. Florida members who want a different plan for 2027 have until Dec. 7, because Medicare.gov says the plan must receive a request to join by that date for coverage to start Jan. 1.
Lee Health laid out its reasons in an open letter to patients, which Becker’s Hospital Review reported on Aug. 28. The system said the two organizations have “fundamentally different priorities” and said UnitedHealthcare’s authorization, review and denial processes threaten timely care. Lee Health put about one-third of its medical necessity denials on UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, and it alleged that UnitedHealthcare owes it more than $100 million in disputed and underpaid claims.
An unnamed UnitedHealthcare spokesperson told Becker’s the alleged problems were never raised with the insurer and that no contract talks were underway before the announcement. The company said it was disappointed but committed to good-faith negotiation during the more than four months left on the contract. Its member page says discussions are ongoing and that UnitedHealthcare wants Lee Health back at the table.
For a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage member who sees Lee Health doctors or uses its hospitals, the question is whether to stay put and hope for a deal or pick a plan whose network keeps Lee Health. Nothing changes on Jan. 1 if the two sides reach an agreement, and nothing in the notice is final until the contract actually ends. The fall window does not wait for the talks, though, and it closes Dec. 7.
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What does UnitedHealthcare tell members if no deal comes?
Becker’s reported that Lee Health plans to end its hospital and physician contracts with UnitedHealthcare at the end of 2026, which would put it out of network for employer-based, individual and Medicare Advantage members from Jan. 1. The system also said UnitedHealthcare does not consider it part of the insurer’s exchange plans. The Advantage members are the ones with a Dec. 7 decision to make.
UnitedHealthcare says members who need to keep seeing a Lee Health provider must apply for continuity of care and be approved. The insurer says people can apply at any time from now until 30 days after the provider leaves the network, and that a dedicated advocate team is available through the phone number on the health plan ID card.
The same page says Medicare Supplement plans are not part of the dispute. That matters for anyone who holds a Medigap policy rather than an Advantage plan, because the network fight is aimed at UnitedHealthcare’s commercial and Medicare Advantage products.
Can an Advantage member switch after Dec. 7?
Medicare.gov describes a second window that opens right after the new year. From Jan. 1 through March 31, people already in a Medicare Advantage plan can switch to a different Advantage plan, with or without drug coverage, or drop the plan and return to Original Medicare and then join a standalone drug plan. Coverage starts the first of the month after the new plan gets the request.
That gives a member who waits out the negotiation one more chance to react if the contract does end Dec. 31. It also means any switch made in the first quarter takes effect later than a switch made by Dec. 7, so the first weeks of 2027 could be spent out of network.
Does a hospital leaving the network open a Medigap door?
Not automatically. Medicare.gov’s list of cases that give the right to switch to Original Medicare and buy any Medigap policy sold in the state covers a plan that is leaving Medicare, a move out of the plan’s area, a plan that no longer covers where a person lives, and a plan that broke the rules or misled the member. A hospital system leaving a plan’s network is not on the list so Medicare.gov does not promise Advantage members a Medigap policy in that situation.
Outside a person’s Medigap open enrollment period, Medicare.gov says there is “no federal guarantee” that an insurance company will sell a policy, and a policy “may cost more due to past or present health problems.” Anyone weighing a move to Original Medicare for this reason can ask their State Insurance Department, a State Health Insurance Assistance Program counselor or 1-800-MEDICARE, the contacts Medicare.gov names, before dropping the Advantage plan.
Where can Lee Health patients check their status?
Lee Health told WGCU in August that it “recognizes that our patients have choices of providers and health plans,” according to the station’s Aug. 26 report. The system directs patients to LeeHealth.org to check network status and to 239-320-1234 with questions. UnitedHealthcare’s page sends members to the number on their plan card.
Until the contract ends, UnitedHealthcare says it will keep using the time left to negotiate. A member can ask the doctor’s office which UnitedHealthcare plans it expects to accept in 2027, get the answer in writing and note the date, then compare it with the plan choices that must be made by Dec. 7.
Is Lee Health still in the UnitedHealthcare plan you would carry into 2027?
If the contract ends Dec. 31 and a member has not chosen by Dec. 7, the first weeks of 2027 can mean Lee Health doctors and hospitals billed as out of network, with the next switch window not opening until Jan. 1 and taking effect a month later.
The 2027 Medicare Open Enrollment Decision Kit is a 55-page guide built for a plan whose network is changing. It includes a cost calculator spreadsheet that compares plans on cost, drugs and doctors, plus a provider call script and a call log for pinning down which plans a doctor’s office will accept.
Get the plan-comparison spreadsheet and provider call script for a Lee Health network exit →
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.
