Shortly before their contracts were scheduled to expire on September 1, HCA Healthcare, the nation's largest hospital chain, and UnitedHealthcare reached multi-year agreements, capping a months-long dispute that threatened health care access at 38 hospitals and affiliated providers across four states.

HCA and UnitedHealth had been in contract talks for months but to no avail before they struck a deal on Saturday evening. Otherwise, network coverage would have been interrupted for members.

"UnitedHealthcare and HCA have reached a multi-year contract that ensures continued, uninterrupted network access to their providers for people enrolled in employer-sponsored commercial plans …as well as our Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree," according to a UnitedHealthcare statement. "We also extended network access to all of these providers for people enrolled in our Individual Family Plan (IFP) through Dec. 31, 2024."