SKDK Launches Payer Negotiation Practice to Support Health Systems During Increasingly Contentious Contract Negotiations

New HarrisX Poll Finds Nearly Half of Americans Have Experienced a Coverage or Network Issue with Their Insurer and Healthcare Provider in the Past Three Years

Nearly 8 in 10 Americans Say Keeping Their Preferred Doctors and Hospitals In-Network Is Very or Extremely Important

NEW YORK, Oct. 7, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- SKDK, one of the nation's premier public affairs and strategic communications firms, today announced the launch of a new Payer Negotiation Practice to support health systems as they navigate increasingly complex negotiations with insurers, bringing the firm's award-winning public affairs expertise and know-how to high-stakes battles over reimbursement rates and patients' access to care. 

"Health systems are operating in a fundamentally different environment than they were even a few years ago," said Mike Morey, President of SKDK. "Payers have gotten increasingly more aggressive in pushing systems to accept reimbursement rates that fail to meet the cost of patient care. They are deploying advertising and media strategies to not only enhance their negotiating position but also to attack the reputations of the hospitals and health systems they are negotiating with. Our role is to help clients understand the environment around a negotiation, prepare for the challenges that may arise and communicate clearly and responsibly throughout the process — while protecting their reputation and ensuring fair reimbursement rates in a contract agreement." 

The launch comes as a new HarrisX poll conducted in partnership with SKDK underscored how directly these disputes affect patients. Nearly eight in ten Americans (79%) say it is extremely or very important that their preferred doctors and hospitals remain in their health insurance plan's network, while 45% say they have experienced at least one negative coverage or network issue involving their insurance company and healthcare provider within the past three years. 

SKDK's Payer Negotiation Practice brings together the firm's most experienced healthcare communications, public affairs, opinion research, issues management and media strategists, who have advised some of the nation's largest health systems. The team includes President Mike Morey; Partner Loren Riegelhaupt and Managing Director Erin Weinstein, who co-chair SKDK's Healthcare practice; Partner Mike Czin; Managing Director and Head of Content, Nick Glasovich; Senior Vice President Sarah Lyons; Vice Presidents John Kim and Nolan Lyons. 

Health systems are navigating an increasingly difficult financial environment at a time when federal Medicaid and Medicare payments rates are declining and the proportion of uninsured patients is climbing once again. Disputes over reimbursement, network access, and timely patient care increasingly play out across the media, local and state legislatures, patient populations and the wider public — requiring a much more sophisticated public affairs strategy that extends beyond the contract negotiating table.

SKDK currently advises healthcare systems and providers across the country. The firm's award-winning work and campaigns have helped healthcare organizations navigate some of the industry's most difficult and contentious challenges, ranging from insurance negotiations to budget battles to hospital openings and closures, complex litigation, DOJ and regulatory enforcement actions, mergers and acquisitions, congressional investigations and other significant reputational crises. SKDK has also helped healthcare organizations manage defining moments for the industry, including leading communications and public affairs efforts throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.

The HarrisX poll also illustrates the real consequences when those disputes affect access to care:

• 62% of Americans say they would view their insurance company less favorably if it removed their preferred hospital or health system from its network.
• Among Americans who have experienced a coverage or network problem, 38% say it caused stress or anxiety, 30% delayed or canceled an appointment or procedure, and 29% say their treatment or continuity of care was disrupted.
• Doctors and healthcare providers are the most trusted source of information about healthcare coverage and access to care, cited by 34% of Americans, compared with 18% who cited their insurance company.

Through the new practice, SKDK will work alongside health system leadership, managed care teams, legal, government relations, communications and marketing teams to help organizations prepare for the broader environment surrounding payer negotiations, communicate effectively with key audiences and navigate heightened public attention when it arises.

"At a time when hospital systems are being squeezed even tighter and margins are especially thin, it's critical to have a team that understands the environment, the strategy and how to deliver for our clients," said Loren Riegelhaupt, Partner and Co-Chair of SKDK's Healthcare practice. "The consequences and pressure on these negotiations have never been greater, and it's vital to have a veteran communications team that knows how to ensure a positive and productive outcome."

The HarrisX survey was conducted online within the United States on Sept. 28 and 29, 2026, among a representative sample of 1,176 U.S. adults. Results were weighted according to age, gender, region, race/ethnicity, income, political party, education, ideology and area type, where necessary to align them with their actual proportions in the population. The margin of error is +/- 2.9%.

For more information, visit www.skdknick.com. 

About SKDK

SKDK is the premier strategic communications and political consulting firm in the nation, bringing experience to Fortune 500 companies, nonprofits, philanthropic organizations, as well as political committees and candidates. With offices in Washington, New York, Boston, Los Angeles, and Albany, SKDK offers strategic support to manage a crisis, protect a brand, advocate for an issue, or win an election. SKDK has repeatedly won Provoke Media's influential North America Public Affairs Agency of the Year award. To learn more about SKDK, visit our website at www.skdknick.com. 

SKDK and its subsidiary, Wavelength Strategy, are proud members of Stagwell, a digital-first global marketing network that delivers scalable, seamless solutions through a unique combination of culture-moving creativity and leading-edge technology. 

SOURCE SKDKnickerbocker