Finding ways to offer competitive pricing in the healthcare market not only helps healthcare networks and hospitals to stand out, but competitive pricing also helps people who otherwise could not afford healthcare to get the care they need. UnitedHealthcare Vice President of Sales Michael Telesky divulged that competitive pricing means affordability and entails premiums for clients and members.
One of the main ways UnitedHealthcare impacts competitive pricing is through integration. This can involve specialty lines of coverage like dental, vision, life, and disability or clinical integration like pharmacy programs, medical programs, and global benefits. UnitedHealthcare’s ability to be able to integrate such coverage lines, benefits, and programs makes quality healthcare more affordable and competitive in the marketplace.
Another key aspect of competitive pricing is data access. Knowledge of and access to data are important, and UnitedHealthcare is proud of its digital capabilities and online interactive tools that allow members and clients to view data at their leisure, keeping their data both private and transparent.
The pandemic brought the importance of virtual platforms to the forefront, and UnitedHealthcare is proud of its online resource for members and clients called myUHC.
“When they first log in and register for myUHC as a member, they’re greeted with a personalized welcome video that looks at their exact situation for deductibles and out-of-pockets, coinsurance, copays, and this video educates and informs exactly where they stand. Specific to their plan and their situation, if they have had claims, it says how much has been satisfied toward deductibles and out-of-pockets and how much is left,” Telesky said. “If they log in a month later after having more claims, that video is updated and personalized for exactly where they’re at for each family member throughout the year. It updates in real time, so we pull from the claims data that we have to update it. We love that digital welcome onboarding video; that’s really a key part of the experience on myUHC.com.”
To ensure that people are not only receiving affordable care but also the care that is most appropriate for them, UnitedHealthcare is committed to educating people on their options through resources like myUHC and its education campaigns. These education campaigns help individuals learn how to evaluate and determine whether they should seek out a virtual visit, immediate care, urgent care, or emergency care. Virtual visits are offered at no cost on average versus an expensive stay at the emergency room, so knowing what options are available can get individuals the care they need without fearing what it will mean for their financial situations.
“There’s no member co-share unless they’re under a high deductible health plan, in which case it is less than $50 per virtual visit,” Telesky said. “The average emergency room visit is close to $2,000. Opening up and making it easier for a member to access virtual care whether it's on their phone or fully integrated into our website, we have three - soon to be four - different virtual care providers available to make it as easy as possible for members to access that care.”
Holding physicians accountable for the efficiency and quality of their care through tangible means with the Premium Designation Program is another method UnitedHealthcare employs to offer competitive pricing.
Through the Premium Designation Program, UnitedHealthcare uses a provider’s own specialty organization data and criteria to determine how many hearts to assign a provider in its database. If a provider meets the desired criteria of care quality, efficiency, and cost, the provider is assigned two hearts. Providers that receive two hearts pop up first when UnitedHealthcare members and clients search its database. Providers must requalify for the Premium Designation Program every year, and this value-based method of care ensures providers are doing their utmost for patients.
“When we do a value-based contract or value-based care, what we’re doing is transitioning our contracts of providers into an arrangement where they are financially accountable for their patients’ care,” Telesky said. “It really emphasizes care coordination and provides actionable data and care management tools to help our providers deliver better outcomes at a lower cost. When those value-based contracts are in place, not only does the member potentially save on costs and receive better outcomes, but the clients and employers that are funding the cost also have a better overall experience that could potentially lead to lower renewals.”
Other ways UnitedHealthcare provides competitive pricing is through a level-funded solution and chamber health plan. The level-funded solution is called All Savers, which allows the excess money to be returned to the client at the end of the year with the potential benefit of increasing employee engagement in health benefits. The Crossroads, Valparaiso, and Michigan City Chamber of Commerce are all part of the chamber health plan which enables members to receive a 5% reduction on their premium if they choose to get involved with All Savers.
For more information about UnitedHealthcare, visit https://www.uhc.com/.
