Steward Health Care has deal to sell doctor network to UnitedHealth

 Troubled hospital operator Steward Health Care, grappling with a financial crisis that’s engulfed its eight Massachusetts hospitals, has struck a deal to sell its nationwide physician network to insurance giant UnitedHealth’s Optum unit.

The proposed sale of the doctors group, called Stewardship Health, is part of Steward’s plan to shore up its finances and bolster its nationwide network of 33 hospitals after the Dallas-based company last year fell behind in paying bills and rents.

The sale will be reviewed closely in Massachusetts, where policy makers are looking for a potential leverage point to force Steward to plow the proceeds into its struggling hospitals and to prevent closure of crucial facilities. Already, some elected officials who have repeatedly accused for-profit Steward of prioritizing shareholders over public health are sounding warnings about the sale of the physicians practice.

https://www.bostonglobe.com/2024/03/26/business/steward-unitedhealth/