Update: UW Medicine Contract Negotiations With Aetna

In April, we announced that UW Medicine’s contracts with Aetna will end on May 31, 2025, unless agreements are reached on new contracts. Despite their best efforts, UW Medicine has not yet been able to reach fair and sustainable agreements with Aetna that ensure continued access to care and is in the best interests of patients, and the contracts have terminated. Negotiations will continue and we will provide updates as they are available.

What You Should Know: Discussions have addressed the need for rates to address the cost of the care and bring Aetna’s rates in line with those of other commercial payors. We are not alone; other health systems have also had difficulty reaching fair terms with Aetna and have ended their contracts. If Aetna and UW Medicine cannot reach an agreement on renewed contracts, Aetna-insured patients may be required to pay a larger share, up to the full cost, of services provided by UW Medicine, effective June 1, 2025.

FOR VALLEY STAFF & COVERED DEPENDENTS ONLY: As of June 1, 2025, UW Medicine/Tier Two facilities are out-of-network. However, for Valley staff and their covered dependents, Valley Medical Center and its providers will remain in-network at Tier One—with no changes to how your care is accessed or billed at Valley. Tier 3 benefits are not expected to be impacted; however, we recommend contacting Aetna to verify coverage. Learn more about the impact to your health plan here. Your employee health plan will also continue to cover you and your dependents at Seattle Children’s and Airlift Northwest. Benefits Guides will be updated appropriately once we receive a final determination.

What Does This Mean for Patients?

Starting Sunday, June 1, patients with Aetna insurance will be considered non-contracted with Valley. With the exception of Valley employees and dependents and Boeing retirees on a PPO ESA plan, all Aetna patients will need to sign a Notice of Non-Coverage (NNC) form before receiving care. Learn more about the process of providing NNC forms in this TiP sheet.

Our IT and Informatics teams are working to build Epic pop-ups to notify you if a patient is on Aetna and no longer considered in-network with Valley; that is expected to be live early next week.

We have been advising patients that they may choose to transfer their care to an in-network provider with Aetna or continue receiving care at Valley:

• Transition-of-Care Coverage: Patients who are pregnant or in an active course of care may be eligible for transition-of-care coverage at Valley. Unfortunately, this determination is made on a case-by-case basis by Aetna. To see if this is an option for the patient, they can contact Aetna by calling the phone number on the back of their member ID card and asking for a Transition-of-Care form. They’ll need a separate form for each clinician they see at Valley or UW Medicine. 
• Out-of-Network Benefits or Self-Pay (based on a patient’s insurance plan): If the patient is not eligible for transition-of-care coverage, they may be able to use out-of-network benefits (if applicable) or opt to self-pay for their care at Valley. We will encourage patients to contact Aetna to understand their coverage for care and for out-of-network approval.  
• Transfer Care to an In-Network Provider and Cancel Valley Appointment: We understand that higher out-of-pocket costs can be challenging for patients and that patients may opt to move to an in-network provider. If patients wish to cancel their appointment, they can do so in MyChart or by calling their clinic. For a list of in-network providers, they can contact Aetna.
• Reschedule Appointments to a Future Date: If the patient wants more time to explore their options, and if medically appropriate, we will encourage them to reschedule any upcoming appointments in June. 

UW Medicine's contracts with Aetna include these locations: Harborview Medical Center; UW Medical Center – Northwest; UW Medical Center – Montlake; UW Medicine Primary Care; UW Physicians including professional services provided at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center; and Valley Medical Center. 

Where to Go For More Information

Please refer to the UW Medicine Aetna patient website for more information and for updates on the status of the negotiations. This site has been updated as recently as May 29.

Advise patients to call the number on their Aetna health insurance card if they have questions or concerns about this potential change or for information regarding authorization for services that are scheduled on or after June 1, 2025, including continuity of care or out-of-network benefit options. For additional questions, please call 425.690.3578, option 4.

Negotiations are ongoing and we will be sure to provide updates on the process and notify you as soon as possible if an agreement is reached. Thank you for your help in making this transition as smooth as possible for our patients.