Community reacts after Conway Regional and United Healthcare terminate contract

CONWAY, Ark. -- Since Conway Regional terminated the contract with United Healthcare, the change is hitting the community hard.

Dee Dee Lantz has United Healthcare through her employer.

"I think that it's unfair for an insurance company to have this much power over the choices that we want to make for our lives,” Lantz said.

She doesn’t want to change doctors after building relationships at Conway Regional but is running out of options.

"There's nothing I can do at this point since that's what my employer provides for this fiscal year, then that's what I have to us,” Lantz said.

Conway Regional CEO Matt Troup said this decision was taken very seriously.

"The agreement with United over time has just lagged behind other payers, so as other payers have flexed with the increased cost of care, as market dynamics have changed, they've increased. United has been relatively flat and hasn't really changed much over the last decade,” Troup said.

He said he understands the frustration of patients and feels for them.

"It grieves me anytime something like money gets in the way of a relationship between a patient and physician, or a patient and a health care provider of any sort,” Troup said.

Troup also noted that even with these changes they still have services available, with or without United Healthcare.

“We have to be here, we will be here for you in an emergency, regardless of your ability to pay, your insurance status, or anything else,” Troup said.

Lantz is frustrated yet understands why the contract was terminated.

"I back Conway regional because I don't think that it's fair, that they provide an excellent medical service to the Conway, and Faulkner county and surrounding community and to not be reimbursed fairly,” Lantz said.

KARK 4 News did reach out to United Healthcare for comment and has not heard back.

For more information, you can visit ConwayRegional.org.

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