The Pennsylvania Supreme Court has ruled Pittsburgh-based UPMC cannot drop Highmark's Medicare Advantage plan members from its network, according to a Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.
UPMC has sought to block in-network access for Highmark Medicare Advantage members since April.
The court's ruling means about 182,000 seniors enrolled in Highmark's Medicare Advantage plans will not have to pay higher, out-of-network rates through June 2019, according to the report.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf and Highmark officials applauded the court ruling. "This is a huge victory for seniors across Western Pennsylvania," Gov. Wolf told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
UPMC spokesman Paul Wood said the health system will comply with the ruling, according to the report.
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