UnitedHealth Group Provides Over $1.5 Billion of Additional Support in Response to COVID-19 Challenges
May 07 2020 - 5:00AM
Business Wire
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is taking additional action to
directly support people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by
providing over $1.5 billion of additional support for its
customers. These measures build upon the company’s ongoing efforts
to address COVID-19 challenges by expanding coverage, supporting
the health care system, protecting the health care work force and
assisting those most affected by the pandemic.
Over the last several months, the emergence of the COVID-19
virus has caused well-documented challenges to people, businesses
and institutions and across national and global health care
systems. Among them is the disruption to traditional patterns of
care and related downstream economic disruption and imbalances to
the nation’s health care delivery and coverage systems.
Last month, the company committed to move quickly to respond to
these challenges until more normal patterns of care, coverage and
health system stability are restored.
“Our mission and core values of integrity, compassion,
relationships, innovation and performance guide our response to the
challenges offered by this complex situation,” said David S.
Wichmann, chief executive officer of UnitedHealth Group. “Our
actions today are a continuation of our commitment to act swiftly
to support the people, and customers we are privileged to serve and
those working courageously on the front line of this pandemic.”
Among the actions being undertaken today to provide immediate
assistance, the vast majority of which are not mandated under
minimum medical loss ratio requirements:
- For people served by UnitedHealthcare commercial fully insured
benefits, credits ranging from 5% to 20% depending upon the
specific plan will be applied to premium billings received by
customers in June.
- For people served by UnitedHealthcare under Medicare Advantage
plans, all specialist and primary care physician cost sharing will
be waived at least through the end of September.
- For people served by UnitedHealthcare AARP Medicare Supplement
policies, we will provide both new and renewal premium price
stability and support.
- For people served by UnitedHealthcare Medicaid plans, the
company is accelerating funds to state partners and critical care
providers to serve more people and expanding its Housing+Health and
homeless support programs, providing shelf stable food and baby
formula.
Today’s actions build on UnitedHealth Group’s ongoing efforts to
respond to COVID-19 by using its clinical, analytics and
technological expertise. Other actions include:
- Waiving all cost-sharing for COVID-19 diagnosis and treatment
while simplifying access to care by reducing prior authorization
requirements.
- Accelerating nearly $2 billion of our own funds to health care
providers to support liquidity needs in early April and assisting
in the $100 billion CARES Act funds distribution for care delivery
partners.
- Pioneering a non-invasive, self-administered COVID-19 test that
streamlines testing, reduces PPE usage and increases safety of
health care workers.
- Dedicating senior executives to support major scientific
discovery and relief efforts.
- Designing and deploying a new protocol, process and supportive
technology to help keep the nation’s health workforce safe and to
support employers return their employees safely to work.
- Providing a special enrollment period for fully insured
customers to allow employees to get coverage.
- Significantly expanding access to telehealth and redeploying
10,000 Optum clinicians to expand telehealth capacities.
- Launching a free nationwide emotional support line to manage
the stress and anxiety.
- Investing $75 million to help communities in need, protect the
health care workforce and help people and clinicians cope with
stress and anxiety from the pandemic and related economic
challenges.
About UnitedHealth Group
UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH) is a diversified health care
company dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and
helping to make the health system work better for everyone.
UnitedHealth Group offers a broad spectrum of products and services
through two distinct platforms: UnitedHealthcare, which provides
health care coverage and benefits services; and Optum, which
provides information and technology-enabled health services. For
more information, visit UnitedHealth Group at
www.unitedhealthgroup.com or follow @UnitedHealthGrp on
Twitter.
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version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20200507005320/en/
Eric Hausman 952-936-3963 Eric.Hausman@uhg.com
UnitedHealth (NYSE:UNH)
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