UnitedHealthcare and Virginia Mason Franciscan Health agreed to a new multi-year contract Dec. 26, ending uncertainty for almost 90,000 people in Washington state, including many Kitsap County patients before the new year.

Talks between the two entities have been ongoing since late November. If the companies were unable to agree on a new contract by Jan. 1, 2025, all Virginia Mason facilities would have been out-of-network for United members, which would have left many Kitsap residents who are already slim on options for healthcare without a hospital in the region.

The agreement helps ensure UnitedHealthcare’s members enrolled in the following health plans have continued access to VMFH’s hospitals and providers in Washington: Employer-sponsored and individual commercial plans; Medicare Advantage plans, including Group Retiree and Dual Special Needs Plans; and UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Washington (Medicaid) plans, per a news release.