Stony Brook, UnitedHealthcare Extend Contracts by a Month, Negotiations Continue on Long-Term Agreement

Stony Brook Medicine and UnitedHealthcare announced last week that they reached a temporary agreement to extend their current health care contract for an additional five weeks while they work on a long-term pricing and compensation package.

With just two days to go before the contract would have expired on June 1, the two sides announced that they would extend the current contract until July 7.

If a new contract still isn’t reached by then, patients covered by the health care plan would lose coverage at Stony Brook Southampton Hospital and doctors in the Stony Brook network, which includes Meeting House Lane Medical Practice, in September, after a state-mandeted “cooling off” period.

“UnitedHealthcare is currently negotiating in good faith with Stony Brook Medicine. Our goal is to reach an agreement that is affordable for the people and employers we serve while ensuring continued, uninterrupted network access to Stony Brook’s hospitals and physicians,” UnitedHealthcare said in a statement to customers on Friday. “In the event we are unable to reach an agreement, Stony Brook’s hospitals and providers in New York will be out of network … effective July 7, 2025.”

The contracts affect UnitedHealthcare and Oxford commercial health plans; UnitedHealthcare Community plans, which are funded through Medicaid; and Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree and Dual Needs plans.

In a message to patients, Stony Brook Medicine said that a long-term contract agreement is nearing completion and that the extension was needed to settle details.

“The current contracts now will remain in effect through and including July 7, 2025,” Stony Brook said in a message to patients. “This will allow Stony Brook Medicine and United/Oxford time to conclude their negotiations and complete paperwork necessary to finalize new agreements.”