ORANGE COUNTY -- Thousands of Medicaid beneficiaries in Orange County are being dropped by United Healthcare.

This affects about 12,000 residents.

Now Medicaid doesn't exactly know why, but said it could be a business or financial decision on the part of United Healthcare.

The change means residents will have to choose another healthcare plan. If they don't, Medicaid will choose a new plan for them.

"They will continue to receive care under a new managed care plan,” said Fernando Senra, a Medicaid agency spokesperson. “It will just be a different company and many times, a lot of the same doctors which they saw under United would also be in the provider list of other plans as well."

The deadline to switch plans is Dec. 1.

News 13 called the Central Florida headquarters for United Healthcare, but they were closed for the holidays.

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