New for open enrollment: Digital offerings and more personalized support options

Each year, open enrollment is the time to take a closer look at your health benefits. Is your current plan working for you or are there adjustments that could be made? Have your health needs or financial situation changed? Are there new options available that might make care easier to access or more affordable?

A helpful place to start is by reviewing what has changed, both in your life and in the benefits available to you, since the last time you signed up for coverage.

This year, you may be able to choose a plan with a different design, such as one that eliminates deductibles and makes it easier to comparison shop for care. You may also have access to digital tools that are designed to offer more personalized support options, simplify your search for care or help connect you with health and wellness resources.

Inflation and rising costs remain a concern for many people. With that in mind, you may want to consider a plan that offers upfront pricing, which makes it possible to know your out-of-pocket costs in the form of a single copay before making medical appointments.

For example, UnitedHealthcare’s Surest® health plan eliminates deductibles and coinsurance and gives eligible members upfront cost and coverage options. Through the Surest app or member website, members may more easily find high-value care options and shop for care just like they do for other products and services online. Members who shopped for more than half of their care spent 23% less than members using the same services through a traditional plan,¹ as well as easier access for people across age groups, demographics and many chronic conditions.

Understanding your benefits and knowing where to go for help may sometimes feel overwhelming. Personalized digital support may make it easier to get answers and connect with additional assistance when you need it.

For example, Avery, a trusted virtual assistant from UnitedHealthcare, can quickly answer questions, help you understand your specific options, based on your health plan and connect you with a live advocate when additional support is needed.

Another example is Smart Choice, an enhanced, personalized provider search experience designed to help eligible members find care.

With Smart Choice, you can search for providers who meet nationally recognized standards* and narrow your choices based on personal preferences such as distance, language spoken, weekend availability and virtual care options. This may make it easier to find care that fits your individual needs.

Some employers may offer access to tools that may help give you a new level of choice for supplemental health and well-being offerings that align with your individual goals.

For example, the UHC Store is a consumer-focused digital shopping experience that allows eligible UnitedHealthcare members to explore more than 30 discounted health and wellness offerings and purchase at any time throughout the year. These offerings are designed to complement members’ existing benefits for things like women’s health, family wellness, fitness, nutrition, chronic condition management and more.

Your employer may also choose to offer a Lifestyle Spending Account, or LSA, that provides funds to be used toward eligible offerings available through the UHC Store. You may be able to choose discounted options such as Weight Watchers, Noom, Dario, Identity Theft Protection by Equifax, Elektra, and more.

Together, the UHC Store and an employer-sponsored LSA may give you flexibility to choose resources based on your personal needs. Talk to your employer about what programs are available to you.