UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage 2021 Review

UnitedHealthcare is the most important supplier of Medicare Benefit plans [1] and presents plans in two-thirds of counties in the USA. UnitedHealthcare additionally companions with AARP, insuring the Medicare merchandise that carry the AARP title.

Three-quarters of UnitedHealthcare members are in extremely rated plans, and UnitedHealthcare will get excessive marks general. However the supplier ranks fourth out of the massive Medicare Benefit suppliers in a current member satisfaction survey, and UnitedHealthcare’s general star score with the Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Companies, or the CMS, has declined a bit.

Right here’s what it is best to find out about UnitedHealthcare Medicare Benefit.

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Benefit execs and cons

UnitedHealthcare’s choices have benefits and drawbacks:

• Largest community: UnitedHealthcare presents the most important Medicare Benefit community of all corporations, with greater than 850,000 community care suppliers [2].

• Extremely rated plans: Though UHC has plans with decrease star rankings from the CMS, the supplier has 28 contracts rated 4 stars or greater that embrace 76% of its present Medicare Benefit members.

• Dwelling advantages: UnitedHealthcare presents $0 copay telehealth visits, in addition to annual house well being visits for members who want a home name.

• Robust advocate community: The supplier presents members the possibility to work with professional advocates if they’ve care questions, in addition to care coordinators in the event that they’re coping with advanced well being points.

• Common member satisfaction rankings: Regardless of being a behemoth within the trade, UnitedHealthcare’s scores in J.D. Powers’ current 2020 Medicare Benefit Research, which measured member satisfaction, had been middle-of-the-road [3].

UnitedHealthcare Medicare plans

UnitedHealthcare presents a number of sorts of Medicare Benefit plans, they usually fluctuate when it comes to construction, prices and advantages accessible.

Basically, UnitedHealthcare presents Medicare Benefit Prescription Drug Plans, in addition to stand-alone prescription drug plans and Medicare Benefit Plans with out drug protection. UHC additionally presents Medicare Benefit Patriot Plans, that are geared towards veterans and different folks with present drug protection. Should you’re undecided what sort of plan you want, the positioning presents a software that means that you can reply some questions and get a plan suggestion.

Different plan choices embrace the next sorts:

Whereas a lot of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Benefit plans embrace Half D drug protection, the corporate additionally sells stand-alone Half D prescription drug plans. These plans are supposed to accompany Medicare Half A and Half B and don’t present medical protection.

UnitedHealthcare presents drug protection by means of AARP MedicareRx plans. These plans embrace generally used generic and brand-name pharmaceuticals, however completely different plans supply completely different sorts of protection. For example, the AARP MedicareRx Walgreens (PDP) plan presents $0 copays on Tier 1 medicine at greater than 9,200 Walgreens and Duane Reades throughout the U.S.

UnitedHealthcare presents numerous methods for members to avoid wasting on drug prices, together with the next:

• Insulin financial savings: Many UHC Medicare Benefit and Half D plans restrict month-to-month out-of-pocket prices for coated insulin to $35.

• $0 drug copays: On Twin Particular Wants Plans, UHC has eliminated copays on coated medicine.

• Bonus drug protection: Most UHC Medicare Benefit plans will supply bonus drug protection for widespread non-Medicare coated pharmaceuticals. These could embrace generally used prescription nutritional vitamins like vitamin B12, and medicines for erectile dysfunction.

• Dwelling prescription supply: Most plans supply $0 copays for Tier 1 and Tier 2 medicine when members organize them by means of the OptumRx house supply pharmacy.

UnitedHealthcare Medicare Benefit presents most MA members entry to dental care (and the most important Medicare Benefit dental community), eye exams and discounted listening to aids. Lots of its plans supply different advantages as properly. Listed below are a number of standouts:

• Health advantages: UnitedHealthcare’s Renew Energetic health program provides members entry to a big community of gyms and health services, in addition to native lessons and occasions. Members may entry a library of on-line exercise movies and a web based mind well being program from AARP Staying Sharp.

• Over-the-counter allowance: Some plan members could get an allowance they will put towards over-the-counter gadgets like cough and chilly meds, first-aid provides, nutritional vitamins and ache relievers.

• Wholesome meals profit: Most Twin Eligible Particular Wants Plans will supply a month-to-month credit score, as much as $660 per yr, to purchase vegatables and fruits, meat, seafood, dairy and different wholesome gadgets.

• Wholesome rewards: Members could possibly earn as much as $120 in rewards for finishing health-related duties, resembling getting their annual bodily, flu shot, preventive screenings, or by being energetic and monitoring steps.

• Dwelling well being visits: Most plans embrace HouseCalls, a program that gives members an annual go to with a licensed clinician of their house, which can be utilized to assist handle care.

• Member advocates: Members with questions on their well being and well being plan could be matched with professional advocates by means of UHC’s Advocate4Me program. These advocates may also help information members to assist them make knowledgeable decisions.

• Care coordinators for advanced issues: Individuals going through advanced well being points could be paired with a single level of contact to assist them coordinate care, handle claims and get assist with different wants by means of UHC’s Navigate4Me program.

• Telehealth: Practically all plans supply $0 copays for telehealth visits.

UnitedHealthcare members can contact their plan’s customer support within the following methods:

• Name the quantity on their member ID card.

• Chat with a service advocate (accessible as soon as members log in to their member web page).

• Name 800-721-0627 (TTY: 711) for technical points 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Central Time, seven days per week.

UnitedHealthcare presents Medicare Benefit plans and Medicare prescription drug plans in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. Altogether, UnitedHealthcare presents plans in 2,117 counties, or 66% of counties within the U.S. — the second-highest quantity amongst suppliers [4] (Humana tops the record). Eighty-six % of Medicare beneficiaries have the choice of a UnitedHealthcare plan.

General, UnitedHealthcare is the most important well being insurer within the nation [5], and it’s the largest amongst for-profit well being plans [6]. Greater than 6.5 million Medicare beneficiaries are enrolled in a UnitedHealthcare Medicare Benefit plan, and the corporate added 827,000 new members for the 2021 plan yr.

Prices for Medicare Benefit plans will rely in your plan, your geographic location and your well being wants. One of many prices to think about is the plan’s premium, and UnitedHealthcare estimates that 2.5 million members will see $0-premium Medicare Benefit plans in 2021.

Whilst a Medicare Benefit person, you’ll nonetheless be chargeable for paying your Medicare Half B premium, which is no less than $148.50 in 2021. (Most individuals pay this normal quantity, but when your earnings is above a sure threshold, you’ll pay extra.)

Different out-of-pocket prices to think about embrace:

• Whether or not the plan covers any a part of your month-to-month Medicare Half B premium.

• The plan’s yearly deductibles and some other deductibles, resembling a drug deductible.

• Copayments and/or coinsurance for every go to or service. For example, there could also be a $10 copay for seeing your major physician and a $45 copay for seeing a specialist.

• The plan’s in-network and out-of-network out-of-pocket maximums.

• Whether or not your medical suppliers are in community or out of community, or how usually you could exit of community for care.

• Whether or not you require further advantages, and if the plan expenses for them.

To get a way of prices, use Medicare’s Plan Finder to check info amongst accessible plans in your space. You’ll be able to choose by insurance coverage provider to see solely UnitedHealthcare plans, or evaluate throughout carriers. You can even store instantly from UnitedHealthcare’s web site by coming into your ZIP code, and also you’ll have the ability to evaluate the plans accessible.

The Facilities for Medicare & Medicaid Companies maintains its personal database of star rankings on each Medicare Benefit and separate Medicare Half D plan, starting from greatest (5 stars) to worst (1 star). The company bases these rankings on plans’ high quality of care and measurements of buyer satisfaction, and rankings could change from yr to yr.

Based mostly on the newest yr of knowledge, UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Benefit plans get a median score of three.8, and the corporate’s prescription drug plans (Half D) get a median rating of three.9. The general common rating for UnitedHealthcare’s plans is 3.9 [7]. For comparability, the typical star score for plans from all suppliers was 4.06 [8].

That stated, three-quarters (76%) of UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare Benefit members who’re in rated contracts are in contracts with 4 stars or extra in 2021 [9]. Seven Medicare Benefit contracts acquired 4.5 stars, and 4 contracts acquired 5 stars. There have been additionally 22 UnitedHealthcare contracts that had been too new to be measured.

There are a number of corporations that weigh in on well being plans or on the power of the corporate in query, and we’ve included three right here:

Discover the appropriate Medicare Benefit plan

• What are the plan’s prices? Do you perceive what the plan’s premium, deductibles, copays and/or coinsurance will likely be? Are you able to afford them?

• Is your physician in community? In case you have a most popular medical supplier or suppliers, be certain that they take part within the plan’s community.

• Are your prescriptions coated? Should you’re on treatment, it’s essential to know how the plan covers it. What tier are your pharmaceuticals on, and are there any protection guidelines that apply to them?

• Is there dental protection? Does the plan supply routine protection for imaginative and prescient, dental and listening to wants?

• Are there extras? Does the plan supply any further advantages, resembling health memberships, transportation advantages or meal supply?

In case you have further questions on Medicare, go to Medicare.gov or name 1-800-MEDICARE (1-800-633-4227, TTY 877-486-2048).