UPDATE – Important Notice to Members Regarding Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation’s Status as a UHA Participating Provider

As a follow-up to our first notification in early April about the Hawai‘i Health Systems Corporation (HHSC) and its affiliates, HHSC remains part of our network of providers as we continue to negotiate a new contract.

HHSC will be part of our network through at least June 4, 2023. We have been bargaining with HHSC in good faith over many months and will continue to do so because we are committed to our members.

In the event that HHSC is no longer part of our network, we have taken a number of steps to lessen the impact on our members and minimize any possible disruptions.

We remain focused on the care of our members.

Access and Coverage (if HHSC leaves our network):

• Coverage for non-emergency health services at HHSC facilities will continue for UHA members in accordance with their benefit plan to minimize any disruptions to their care.
• By law, emergency services must be provided by hospitals, which treat emergency medical conditions; access to HHSC facilities and benefits for emergency services remains unchanged.
• Professional services within HHSC facilities also continue with no change in benefit coverage; for example, a physician providing services or maintaining an office inside of a HHSC facility is not impacted by these negotiations.

Payments: Even if HHSC leaves our network, UHA will continue to pay HHSC at the participating-provider benefit level (up to the eligible charge for services according to the member’s benefit plan) and we will pay the hospital directly.

We’re working with the best interest of our members and the community in mind.

We value transparency, so our notifications have gone beyond what is required by the state. In early April, we began sharing the news with all our affected employer groups, any member with a history of care at a HHSC facility, healthcare providers on Hawai‘i Island and Kaua‘i, all members residing on those respective islands, as well as publicly via our website.

We also notified all physicians in the entire state of Hawai‘i for awareness and to help minimize any patient or provider disruption. We have since been working proactively with physicians in the community to best support care coordination for our members; we truly appreciate the support that these healthcare providers have offered us as they learned of this situation.

Updates are being posted on our website periodically: uhahealth.com/notices.

To ensure that you receive timely updates, please register for an online UHA member account at uhahealth.com/memberportal to provide us with your current email address.

As a local, physician-founded health insurer and mutual benefit society, we work dutifully to manage our employers’ and members’ premium dollars so that they have access to affordable, high-quality patient care that does not burden them with paying more than they should.

We appreciate HHSC’s extension of our negotiations so we may continue working together toward an agreement. We remain hopeful and committed to reaching a resolution for the best interest of our members and the community.

Should you need further assistance or have questions please contact our Customer Services team at (808) 532-4000 or toll free at 1 (800) 458-4600.