Obamacare customers lose coverage for top Chicago children's hospital

By Paige Winfield Cunningham, Paige Winfield Cunningham

Published December 02, 2016

The top children's hospital in the Chicagoland area won't be covered in-network for any Obamacare plans next year.

Lurie Children's Hospital is the latest in a growing list of top Illinois hospitals that will now cost Obamacare customers much more to access, now that all four marketplace insurers covering the hospital in-network for 2016 are dropping it from their provider networks next year.

Lurie was in-network this year for four marketplace plans, including Coventry, Harken, United Compass and Land of Lincoln. But Land of Lincoln folded a few months ago, the other three have narrowed their networks for next year and other Obamacare insurers never covered the hospital to begin with.

Lurie has posted a notice on its website, warning patients that they will need to get prior authorization from their marketplace plan before getting care — or they'll likely have to pay the full bill.