Our response to COVID-19

Timely communication, access to helpful resources and insights-driven actions are at the center of our vaccination education and encouragement program. We believe that starts with connecting with members by leveraging the right messages and the right messengers.

• More than 38 million communications have been sent to eligible members to support vaccine education, encouragement and adherence, as of August 2021. Messages are insights-driven and tested with consumers, ultimately optimized to focus on $0 cost-share through the national public health emergency period, vaccine safety and vaccine effectiveness.
• Local partnerships and vaccination events are also critical to reaching the right people. Early on we partnered with the National Hispanic Council on Aging, Black Coalition Against COVID-19 and National Councils on Developmental Disabilities to help enable the right messengers in local communities. We also work closely with federally qualified health systems and other local health organizations to host vaccination events and encourage vaccination. 

Our navigation support program provides a dedicated advocate who helps guide high risk, isolated members to the support they need. These members can help get medications, supplies, food and care, as well as discuss other available support services such as:

• Appointment scheduling for more than 9.5K Medicare and Medicaid members, with a focus on members with higher social vulnerability
• Appointment transportation support for Medicare and Medicaid members, including their transportation benefits, to access community-based transportation and a Lyft pilot partnership     

Health care professionals are on the front-line of vaccination encouragement, and we’ve worked to support them by compiling resources for both them and their patient.

• Arming patients with science-based education is a critical part of what providers are being asked to do. To make this easier on them, we pulled together patient educational materials. We’ve also built unbranded communications to remove any health insurance bias in the eyes of those we serve.  
• Developing educational materials on building vaccine confidence specifically for UnitedHealthcare providers and clinicians. This includes a self-paced course on understanding vaccination hesitancy and tools to aid in conversations with unsure patients. 

To help members navigate life once they are fully vaccinated, UnitedHealthcare created a secure, digital COVID-19 vaccination record. The record puts the member’s vaccination information at their fingertips, ready to be printed or shared. The UnitedHealthcare COVID-19 vaccination record is housed on the member’s vaccination record page within their online UnitedHealthcare member account.

UnitedHealthcare is working in partnership with community-based organizations with urgency to serve the needs of underserved communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, urging them to get vaccinated for COVID-19, as soon as they can.

• STOP COVID helps expand access to health and social services, including COVID-19 testing, health and safety kits, food boxes and more. Through this program, we are also expanding access to vaccines through local events.
• The Vaccine Community Connectors pilot aims to help enable the vaccination of 2 million seniors age 65+ in America’s most at-risk and underserved communities. The initiative focuses on answering questions about the vaccine and providing scheduling and transportation support.

UHC.com and UHCprovider.com are the information hubs for the latest details on care, support and resources, including access to health plan accounts for personalized digital care.

• On UHC.com, we are providing COVID-19 information that supports our members and their families. From talking to children about COVID-19 to how to access care and understand changes in benefits, members can expect ongoing updates to help them stay informed.
• On UHCprovider.com, we are committed to providing the latest information for health care professionals. From provider policy changes and telehealth access to credentialing, coding and administrative policies, health care professionals can turn to this resource for support with patient care.

We developed and deployed digital tools, including a symptom checker, to provide the most up-to-date information about care, coverage and support needed to rapidly assess symptoms, schedule telehealth visits or even talk to a nurse.

We believe testing for COVID-19 is important to slowing the spread of COVID-19. Our COVID-19 testing locator was one of the first available to help everyone find a testing site near them. As always, we encourage members to talk to their health care provider if they think they may need testing. 

Members have access to their health plan account, where COVID-19 coverage details, resources and access to care are readily available. This personalized digital care platform provides up-to-date information about prevention, coverage, access to care and support that may be needed such as a 24/7 telehealth visit with their provider, talking to a nurse, refilling or scheduling home delivery for prescriptions, and accessing emotional support care 24 hours a day. 

• Expanded virtual care access so people could get care outside of the doctor’s office
• Offered a special enrollment period to allow individuals employed by our commercial customers who previously declined health benefit coverage to elect health coverage following onset of the pandemic
• Supported members in home isolation through a navigation support program
• Offered support for high-risk Medicare and Medicaid members with a home-based management platform
• Offered access to early prescription refills
• Expanded assistance for socially isolated members, coordinating access to medications, supplies, food, care and support programs;
• Provided access to our mental health mobile app and 24/7 emotional support phone lines to help all Americans – not just UnitedHealthcare members – to cope with the mental health impacts of the pandemic
• Provided more than $100 million in support to individuals particularly vulnerable to COVID-19 such as health care workers, people living in hot spots, seniors, and individuals experiencing homelessness and food insecurity

Throughout the pandemic we have monitored infection rates and hospitalizations and have taken action to support providers in the hardest hit areas. For example, in these areas we have:

• Reduced requirements, such as prior authorization, to help eliminate provider administrative requirements;
• Delayed or waived medical management program requirements, such as discharge planning, and other initiatives so doctors can focus on providing care.

UnitedHealth Group, the parent company of UnitedHealthcare, announced steps to accelerate nearly $2 billion in payments and other financial support to providers in 2020. This included accelerated claim payments to medical and behavioral care providers in UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Advantage, Medicaid, and Individual and Group Market fully insured health plans.

Early actions we took to support providers and other health care professionals during the early onset of the pandemic included:

• Extended timely filing and reduced certain priority authorization requirements
• Provided guidance on telehealth claim submissions, given how new many providers were adopting this type of care
• Helped with patient discharges to settings for lower levels of care during the national public health emergency period