Much has been said of Johns Hopkins’ decision to walk away from network negotiations with UnitedHealthcare (Johns Hopkins says UnitedHealthcare talks are over without return to network, Sept. 18, 2025). We want to set the record straight.

First, this negotiation is not novel — far from it. Our provider network is one of America’s largest. We negotiate more than 2,000 contracts with health systems each year. We enter every negotiation in good faith, with respect for cost pressures medical systems face and admiration for the trust our members place in the care they provide.

Second, this isn’t about money. We agreed to rate increases Johns Hopkins sought. The issue is access — specifically, protecting equal access to care for the people we serve. Johns Hopkins demanded terms asserted by no other health system in the country; provisions that would allow it to refuse treatment for people employed by anyone it does not want to do business with. In other words, as an in-network provider, Johns Hopkins wants the right to turn away some UnitedHealthcare members, simply because it wants to.

Nearly 50 million people rely on UnitedHealthcare to access affordable, high-quality health care, and they rely on our network for consistent access to the care they need. We have a responsibility to ensure access to care, and we expect network providers to honor their commitments.

A provider that we believe selectively and unilaterally turns patients away — regardless of medical need or coverage — not only undermines the foundation of what it means to be a network provider, it also erodes trust in the U.S. health care system.

Our top concern is the health and well-being of our members, and we aspire for each person to have access to the best care possible. But what does it mean to have a top health system in our network if they can turn you away just because they want to?

We are doing everything we can to reach an agreement. Even though Johns Hopkins has walked away, we remain at the negotiating table. We hope they will join us there to work toward a reasonable solution that protects patient access for all.

Joseph Ochipinti is UnitedHealthcare’s CEO for the mid-Atlantic region.

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