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My message to Lehigh Valley Health…
My message to Lehigh Valley Health Network and UnitedHealthcare I am extremely disappointed and honestly outraged that patients are the ones being caught in the middle of this dispute between Lehigh Valley Health Network and UnitedHealthcare. Healthcare should NEVER be treated like a business negotiation where patients are left to suffer the consequences. For years, people have trusted Lehigh Valley Health Network with their health, their families, and sometimes their lives. Patients have established relationships with their doctors and specialists and depend on continuity of care. Now, many UnitedHealthcare members are being forced to make difficult decisions about their healthcare because LVHN and UnitedHealthcare could not reach an agreement. What about the elderly patient who has been seeing the same specialist for years? What about someone undergoing treatment for a serious illness who cannot simply start over with another doctor? What about the patient who cannot afford higher out-of-pocket costs? These aren't numbers on a contract. These are people's lives. I understand that healthcare organizations and insurance companies have to negotiate. But when those negotiations result in patients losing affordable access to the doctors and hospitals they depend on, something is seriously wrong. Lehigh Valley Health Network and UnitedHealthcare need to stop putting patients in the middle and get back to the negotiating table. I don't care who wins the contract dispute. I care about patients winning. People should not have to choose between their healthcare and their ability to afford it. Our health should come before profits, reimbursement rates, and corporate disagreements. Please put your patients and members first and find a solution. People's lives and well-being are too important to be used as bargaining chips.