Memorial Sloan Kettering, UnitedHealthcare strike deal continuing in-network care for cancer patients

Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, which has three locations on Long Island, has struck a deal with UnitedHealthcare that will allow more than 19,000 patients to continue to receive in-network care.

The two announced the multiyear agreement on Tuesday, which ensures ongoing in-network access for cancer center patients with the health insurer’s employer-provided commercial plans, company officials said.

"We have reached an agreement with UnitedHealthcare that protects access to MSK for thousands of patients and ensures we can continue delivering the highest standard of cancer care," Dr. Selwyn Vickers, president and CEO of MSK, said in a Tuesday statement.

In a separate statement, Junior Harewood, CEO of UnitedHealthcare of New York, said the health insurer understood that the negotiation had been difficult for people and their loved ones.

"We are pleased to renew our relationship and provide continued access to MSK for the people who rely on them for quality cancer care," Harewood wrote.

Before the deal was announced, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center said the health insurer held rate increases for its hospital services to 1.6% during the previous five years. MSK said it could no longer continue with that rate in the face of growing care cost and inflation.

MSK said more than 19,000 of its patients could lose in-network care without an agreement in July. The cancer center has locations in Commack, Uniondale and Hauppauge, according to its website.

However, on Tuesday, the two announced an agreement that included "market-aligned rate adjustments consistent with those of other National Cancer Institute (NCI)-designated cancer centers in Manhattan," MSK said.

"This agreement recognizes the value of MSK’s specialized cancer care model and allows us to continue advancing our mission to end cancer for life," Vickers said.

By Tiffany Cusaac-Smith

tiffany.cusaac-smith@newsday.com@T_Cusaac

Tiffany Cusaac-Smith is a general assignment reporter for Newsday. She previously worked at USA TODAY and is an alum of Howard University.