UHC/Health Partners FAQs

RETIREE INSURANCE ISSUES

Update November 5th, 2024 - Retiree Letter

SPPS Update as of 10/09/2024 - Retiree Letter

SPPS Update as of 09/10/2024 - Retiree Letter

HealthPartners sent a letter to retirees of St. Paul Public Schools who use our insurance coverage through United HealthCare (UHC) over the weekend of July 20, 2024 that UHC Medicare Advantage plans would no longer be accepted by HealthPartners. This affects about 30,000 people in Minnesota. SPPS retirees are included in that number- approximately 2300 of our 3000 retirees use HealthPartners doctors, clinics, and hospitals.

Last we were informed, UHC and HealthPartners were still in negotiations. SPPS was not informed of this information prior to you, our retirees, calling to notify us of the letter you received. Please see the UHC response to this letter, and the update on their negotiations with HealthPartners.

We are working with our legal team, our broker, UHC, and HealthPartners on possible solutions. As soon as we have some direction, we will be reaching out with additional information. please understand that we know how frustrating and urgent this situation is, and are working to remedy it as quickly as possible.

Thank you for your patience as we determine next steps.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is HealthPartners dropping United Health Care?

Insurers and providers negotiate with each other on a regular basis over the costs of their services.

As part of their recent negotiations, HealthPartners has decided to stop accepting United HealthCare insurance for their services. At present, HealthPartners has alleged that United HealthCare’s denials are greater than their competitors; United HealthCare maintains this is untrue, and has stated that HealthPartners has only agreed to continue with UHC if they agree to a significant price increase.

Can I continue to see my provider at HealthPartners for 2024?

Yes, coverage remains the same until 12/31/2024.

Can I continue to see my provider at HealthPartners for 2025?

At present, HealthPartners has stated that they will not be accepting patients with United HealthCare insurance beginning 1/1/2025, even as out-of-network. This would mean that retirees would need to change their providers from HealthPartners to another provider (such as M Health/Fairview, Allina, etc.). SPPS is hopeful that HealthPartners and UHC will resume their negotiations to fix this prior to 1/1/2025 so as not to disrupt our retirees and their health care needs.

Why is no one at St. Paul Public Schools returning my phone calls?

SPPS is trying to return phone calls as quickly as possible. However, with a large number of retirees calling in, the team is unable to return every call and work on resolution for this issue. Your opinion is important to us in this matter, and we encourage you to reach out to HealthPartners to voice your concerns (800-883-2177 or 952-993-7600), as well as the Attorney General of Minnesota (651-296-3353 (Twin Cities Calling Area) or 800-657-3787 (Outside the Twin Cities) 800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay)), and your State Representatives to encourage them to push HealthPartners to return to the negotiating table with UHC.

Who can I contact about this issue?

SPPS is unable to solve this problem alone. The City of St. Paul and Ramsey County are also in the same boat, and we encourage you to reach out to HealthPartners to voice your concerns (800-883-2177 or 952-993-7600), as well as the Attorney General of Minnesota (651-296-3353 (Twin Cities Calling Area) or 800-657-3787 (Outside the Twin Cities) 800-627-3529 (Minnesota Relay)), and your State Representatives to encourage them to push HealthPartners to return to the negotiating table with UHC.

What can I do now?

Will SPPS just give me the money to find my own insurance plan?

This is very unlikely. SPPS receives the funding for the retiree health insurance through property tax levies, and State law determines eligibility for these levies. In addition to how the funding is available, providing the money directly to retirees has tax implications for pension and Social Security.

Will SPPS just drop UHC and go back to HealthPartners?

SPPS is required to go through a Request for Proposal (RFP) process for any contract over $175,000. This process takes an average of 8-12 months from start to finish. There is no guarantee that HealthPartners would win the next award, and there is not enough time to complete the process between now and 1/1/2025.

I am on the former National One plan. What will happen to my coverage?

Those retirees on the former NationalOne plan (currently with Medica) will not see changes due to this decision. During Open Enrollment this fall, the carrier may change; any information will be communicated to you directly at that time.

Will SPPS let me drop the plan for a year, and then come back later?

At present, the eligibility rules for retiree insurance state that if a retiree leaves the plan, they are not eligible to return to the SPPS plan. This has been dictated in the contracts across all Union groups for years, and is unlikely to change. However, SPPS is researching all possibilities at this time.

When is the next RFP process?

Retiree insurance will go out for bid in January of 2025, for a 1/1/2026 start date.

Who is on the Negotiation team for retirees? Can a retiree be present?

In the past, the Union reps for active employees represented their retired members through the RFP process. Going forward, SPPS will be soliciting retiree volunteers to assist with this process. There will be a call for volunteers at the end of 2024; if you are interested in participating, email benefits@spps.org to put your name on the list to be contacted.

What is the process for UHC and HealthPartners to resolve this?

UHC and HealthPartners can only resolve this through their internal negotiations. We suggest calling HealthPartners (800-883-2177 or 952-993-7600) to urge them to return to the negotiating table and consider the effects on a lack of continuous care for SPPS retirees.