Background
UnitedHealthcare will be providing more than $1.5 billion in assistance, which includes customer premium credits. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic many people have been unable to access routine or planned care visits. With this being said, UnitedHealthcare has seen a much lower amount of medical care delivered than was anticipated when pricing was first established.
Summary
The UnitedHealthcare commercial fully insured individual and employer customers credits range from 5% to 20%, which will be applied to premiums in June. This is dependent upon the type of plan the individual and employer have.
Those who carry the UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans will be granted special permission to waive specialist and primary physician cost sharing, through at least September.
UnitedHealthcare will additionally expand its Housing+Health and homeless support programs
for those who carry a UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plans, in hopes to provide individuals with canned goods and those who need access to baby formula, and quicken the rate at which state partners and critical providers receive funds in order to serve its people.
These efforts by UnitedHealth Group are to provide guidance and strength to those in need during this COVID-19 pandemic, by providing clinical, analytics and technological expertise to expand coverage, stabilize the health care system, protect the health care workforce, and assist those affected the most by this pandemic. Other actions will include:
- Waiving cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment.
- Accelerating nearly $2 billion to health care providers to support liquidity needs.
- Initially investing more than $70 million to help communities in need and protect the health care workforce.
- Significantly expanding access to telehealth and redeploying 10,000 Optum clinicians to expand telehealth capabilities.
- Converting company cafeterias to provide more than 75,000 meals a week for people in need and keeping our cafe team at work.
- Pioneering a noninvasive, self-administered COVID-19 test that streamlines testing, reduces personal protective equipment usage and increases safety of health care workers.
- Simplifying access to care by reducing prior authorization requirements.
- Providing a special enrollment period for fully insured customers to allow employees who did not opt in for coverage during the regular enrollment period to get coverage.
- Launching a free nationwide emotional support line to manage the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19.
Employers Next Steps
- If you have any comments or concerns please contact us at benefitsupport@hrknowledge.com.
The People Simplifying HR
For almost twenty years, HR Knowledge has made it our mission to demystify the complex and daunting process of HR management. We do more than just provide the level of service and technology you’d expect from an industry leader.
We combine an unparalleled passion for service with our decades of HR, payroll, and benefits experience to provide our clients with personalized and actionable advice that is second—to—none.
From managed payroll to employee benefits to HR support, we can help your organization thrive, grow, and reduce operating costs — no matter what industry you serve. Whether you’re interested in our Full-Service solution or just need your employee handbook written, HR Knowledge can help you minimize risk while staying on top of compliance regulations.
The bottom line? We’re not just another cloud-based technology company that also does HR, #WeAreHR.
This content is provided with the understanding that HR Knowledge is not rendering legal advice. While every effort is made to provide current information, the law changes regularly and laws may vary depending on the state or municipality. The material is made available for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for legal advice or your professional judgment. You should review applicable laws in your jurisdiction and consult experienced counsel for legal advice. If you have any questions regarding this content, please contact HR Knowledge at 508.339.1300 or email us.
DOWNLOAD PDF