UnitedHealthcare’s 2023 Medicare Plans Add New Benefits, Simplicity for Consumers

Rhea-AI Summary

UnitedHealthcare announced its 2023 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans aimed at enhancing member benefits and reducing costs. Key highlights include improved plans for 95% of individual Medicare Advantage members, a new simplified dental benefit, and features addressing social determinants of health. With over 8.2 million members, UnitedHealthcare continues to expand coverage to 314 additional counties, reaching 95% of Medicare consumers nationwide. Innovations like UCard™ will further streamline member experiences.

Positive

• 95% of Medicare Advantage members will experience improved benefits.
• Expanded service area to include 314 additional counties, enhancing access for millions.
• 99% of members will maintain stable or reduced premiums, with a substantial number having $0 premium options.

Negative

• None.

• 95% of all individual Medicare Advantage members will see improved benefits in 2023
• Simplified comprehensive dental benefit offers broader coverage and lower costs
• New plan features address social determinants of health, whole-person health
• National UnitedHealthcare UCard™ rollout will simplify the member experience

MINNETONKA, Minn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- UnitedHealthcare^® today introduced its 2023 Medicare Advantage and prescription drug plans, offering expanded access to consumer-focused plans that deliver a differentiated member experience underscored by better-than-ever ancillary benefits, lower prescription drug costs, and further improvements to core benefits.

“With financial pressures especially impacting older adults living on fixed incomes, we are committed to improving the benefits we offer and driving industry-leading innovations that make them easier to use for the people we serve,” said Tim Noel, CEO of UnitedHealthcare Medicare & Retirement. “These investments and innovations will make a meaningful impact on the experience and value we provide to our members – in ways only UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage can.”

More than 8.2 million peopleⁱ are currently enrolled in UnitedHealthcare Medicare Advantage plans, and more than a third of all Medicare Advantage enrollment growth over the past five years, including 2022, has been through UnitedHealthcare.ⁱⁱ

In 2023, the company will expand its service area to reach 95% of Medicare consumers nationwide and maintain the industry’s largest Medicare Advantage footprint – including nearly 2.3 million more people in 314 additional counties with access to a standardⁱⁱⁱ Medicare Advantage plan and 145,000 more people eligible for a Dual Special Needs Plan (D-SNP).

Highlights of UnitedHealthcare’s 2023 individual Medicare Advantage plans include:

New Plan Features Bring Cost Savings, Support Whole-Person Health

• D-SNP Utilities Credit: The combined over-the-counter (OTC) and healthy food benefit offered in 2022 on nearly all D-SNPs gave members three times more credit than the 2021 healthy food credit. In 2023, with food and utility prices rising higher than the average inflation rate^iv, home utilities will be added to the benefit with an average annual credit of more than $2,200. This means Dual members can also choose to spend their monthly credit on expenses like home heat, electricity, water, sewer and home internet.
• D-SNP Home Support: With consumer research identifying home care services as a top desired benefit by Dual eligibles, UnitedHealthcare will offer a new home support services benefit on select D-SNPs. Members can use a $150-$225 quarterly credit toward support services including pest control, companion care, light cleaning, home modifications, yard maintenance and more.
• Flex Benefit: A new flex benefit on select plans can be used to extend existing dental, vision and hearing benefits after using these benefits. This annual benefit ranging from $150-$750 can be used to pay for Medicare-approved items and services like hearing aid copays, prescription sunglasses, out-of-network dental charges and more.

Value-Added Investments Across Core and Ancillary Benefits, Popular Plan Features

• Benefit Stability: 99% of members in standard and Chronic Special Needs Plans (C-SNPs) will have stable or reduced premiums – including nearly 3.3 million members with a $0 premium – and all will have stable or improved core and prescription drug benefits. Additionally, all Medicare Advantage members will see stable ancillary benefits, with 91% receiving better-than-ever ancillary benefits like dental, hearing, OTC and prescription drug coverage.
• $0 Copays: 97% of members are enrolled in a standard plan or C-SNP with a $0 PCP copay, up from 83% in 2022 and higher than the rest of the industry, and nearly all eligibles will have access to a plan with a $0 PCP copay. Many members will also see decreased copays on specialist visits and physical, occupational and speech therapies – and $0 copays when the visit is virtual.
• Dental: The company will offer its richest enhanced comprehensive dental benefit ever, with one simplified coverage level available to 96% of people in standard plans, covering all non-cosmetic dental care including dentures and implants, and no out-of-pocket costs up to the annual coverage limit on most plans. Members will have access to the largest national Medicare Advantage dental network, and all plans with the enhanced comprehensive dental benefit will allow members to see out-of-network dentists to receive the coverage they need.
• OTC, Healthy Food and Utilities Credit: D-SNP members with this combined benefit will see an average increase of 42%, amounting to an average allowance of more than $2,200, with some members having up to $3,600 per year to spend across covered OTC products and healthy foods between shopping trips or online delivery orders, plus eligible utilities expenses.
• Vision and Hearing: All plans with vision coverage will maintain a $0 routine annual eye exam, and most will have an eyewear allowance. Standard lenses are covered at no cost and more than 92% of members will have an annual benefit, up from 59% in 2022. Additionally, the majority of plans will offer a $0 hearing exam and all members will have a hearing aid benefit, typically annual, and access to custom-programmed hearing aids through UnitedHealthcare Hearing, including retail and home-delivery options.

Prescription Drug Plan Designs Drive Down Consumer Costs

• $0 Copays and Deductibles: More plans than ever will lower tier 1 retail copays to $0, giving nearly all members in standard plans and C-SNPs free access to the most common adherence medications. And 100% of members will have $0 tier 1 and 2 copays through Optum Home Delivery, up from 93% in 2022. Additionally, 87% of members will have no Rx deductibles, up from 59% in 2022.
• Formulary Investments: The company’s Medicare Advantage formulary will have more drugs in tier 1 than ever before and move even more commonly used drugs to lower tiers, which target conditions such as cardiovascular disease, depression, osteoarthritis, glaucoma, and overactive bladder, among others. Additionally, several drugs used before or after dental procedures have moved to tier 1, helping to eliminate out-of-pocket costs for these drugs on most plans.
• Chronic Condition Support: All members without Extra Help enrolled in C-SNPs will have access to insulin at $25 ($10 less than standard plans) in addition to diabetic supplies on tier 2, giving access to $0 copays for supplies when using home delivery. C-SNP members will also have access to eight medications on a lower drug tier that target cardiovascular disease.
• Part D Coverage Gap: All standard plans will continue to provide tier 1 gap coverage, eliminating increased costs during the coverage gap and helping to ensure cost is not a barrier for members to stay adherent with their medications.
• $0 Drug Copays on Dual Special Needs Plans (D-SNP): UnitedHealthcare will continue to expand access to $0 copays on covered drugs to 96% of our members enrolled in D-SNPs – bringing needed savings to more Dual members than any other carrier.

Distinctive Offerings Support a Superior Member Experience

• UCard: A national rollout to more than 6.4 million individual Medicare Advantage members brings together the member ID with enhanced payment technology to create a single, integrated card that not only provides access to health care, but also allows members to shop with their benefits, spend earned rewards and more. Key features include:
  • Members with an OTC, or OTC, healthy food, and utilities combined benefit can spend the credit on their UCard on thousands of covered items at more than 35,000 retail locations nationwide – a first for most members in standard plans and C-SNPs.
  • All members with a UCard and Renew Active® fitness benefit can use the UCard to access their free gym membership on their first visit to any of the 22,000+ Renew Active network gyms and fitness locations – the largest national Medicare fitness network.
  • Earned rewards are loaded onto a member’s UCard after they complete eligible activities like getting a flu shot or a mammogram, having a UnitedHealthcare HouseCalls visit, or achieving monthly activity goals.
  • The UCard Hub on the UnitedHealthcare member website and mobile app will give members real-time access to available balances, a store locator and more, with additional support from customer service as needed.
• Medicare National Network: The largest national Medicare Advantage network^v will be available across even more plans in 2023, reaching nearly 96% of people in UnitedHealthcare’s coverage area and more than 3.1 million current enrollees. Members pay network costs when they see any of the more than 1 million network care providers, whether in their neighborhood or away from home.
• High-Touch Member Support: Whether in person or on the phone, and from routine to complex needs, UnitedHealthcare offers tailored support to members through programs including:
  • HouseCalls: This yearly, in-home health and wellness clinical service is a checkup at no cost. During the visit, a licensed physician or advanced practice clinician will review an individual’s medical history, answer questions, perform a physical exam and offer a health screening. These visits also provide an opportunity to assess the social, emotional and environmental needs of a member that usually cannot be assessed in a clinic setting.
  • UnitedHealthcare At Home: Select markets offer this personalized clinical program designed to improve access to care, support member education and coordinate care across providers to ultimately improve health outcomes through touch points including in-home visits and telephonic support.
  • Navigate4Me^TM: For D-SNP members, our navigators provide one-on-one support for needs ranging from clinical support, social determinants of health, care coordination and more.

More Coverage Choices to Meet Diverse Needs

As the only company to offer Medicare plans with the AARP name, and the nation’s largest Medicare Advantage, D-SNP and Medicare Supplement carrier, UnitedHealthcare serves nearly 1 in 5 people in the Medicare program through its portfolio of plans^vi. UnitedHealthcare serves approximately 4.4 million people through its Medicare Supplement plans and approximately 4 million people through its stand-alone and group Part D prescription drug plans.

People can make changes to their Medicare coverage during Medicare Annual Enrollment, which runs from Oct. 15 to Dec. 7.

For more information on UnitedHealthcare’s Medicare plans, visit UHCMedicareHealthPlans.com.

About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.5 million physicians and care professionals, and 7,000 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter.

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Plans are insured or covered by a Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and/or a Medicare-approved Part D sponsor. Enrollment in the plan depends on the plan’s contract renewal with Medicare. For Dual Special Needs Plans: A Medicare Advantage organization with a Medicare contract and a contract with the State Medicaid Program.

Benefits and features, and/or devices vary by plan/area. Limitations and exclusions apply.

Flex benefit allowance expires at the end of the plan year. Flex benefit allowance must be used at dental, vision or hearing providers that accept Visa.

Food, OTC and utility benefits have expiration timeframes. Call your plan or review your Evidence of Coverage (EOC) for more information.

If your plan offers out-of-network dental coverage and you see an out-of-network dentist, you might be billed more. Network size varies by local market. Out-of-network/non-contracted providers are under no obligation to treat plan members, except in emergency situations. Please call our customer service number or see your Evidence of Coverage for more information, including the cost-sharing that applies to out-of-network services.

$0 copay may be restricted to particular tiers, preferred medications, or home delivery prescriptions during the initial coverage phase and may not apply during the coverage gap or catastrophic stage.

Virtual visits may require a video-enabled smartphone or other device. Not for use in emergencies.

Vision benefits vary by plan and are not available with all plans. Limitations and exclusions apply. Additional charges may apply for out-of-network items and services. Annual routine eye exam and $100-600 allowance for contacts or designer frames, with standard (single, bi-focal, tri-focal or standard progressive) lenses covered in full either annually or every two years.

Other hearing exam providers are available in the UnitedHealthcare network. The plan only covers hearing aids from a UnitedHealthcare Hearing network provider.

UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company pays royalty fees to AARP for the use of its intellectual property. These fees are used for the general purposes of AARP. AARP and its affiliates are not insurers. You do not need to be an AARP member to enroll in a Medicare Advantage or Prescription Drug Plan. AARP encourages you to consider your needs when selecting products and does not make specific product recommendations for individuals.

Participation in the Renew Active® program is voluntary. Consult your doctor prior to beginning an exercise program or making changes to your lifestyle or health care routine. Renew Active includes standard fitness membership. Fitness membership equipment, classes, personalized fitness plans, caregiver access and events may vary by location. Access to Medicare’s largest national gym network is based upon comparison of competitors’ website data as of May 2022. Gym network may vary in local market.

HouseCalls may not be available in all areas.

Provider network may vary in local market. Network sizes vary by market and exclusions may apply.

______________________________
ⁱCMS enrollment data, August 2022. Enrollment across all plans.
ⁱⁱCMS Enrollment Data, Dec. 2018 - Aug. 2022.
ⁱⁱⁱRefers to UnitedHealthcare’s standard Medicare Advantage plans (i.e., non-special needs plans).
^ivConsumer Price Index – Bureau of Labor Statistics. Consumer Price Index Summary - 2022 M08 Results (bls.gov); Latest Numbers : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (bls.gov)
^vNetwork size varies by plan and by market and exclusions may apply.
^viCMS enrollment data, August 2022.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20221001005002/en/

Jessica Kostner

UnitedHealthcare

jessica_kostner@uhc.com

952-931-4951

Source: UnitedHealthcare

FAQ

What are the highlights of UnitedHealthcare's 2023 Medicare plans?

UnitedHealthcare's 2023 Medicare Advantage plans offer improved benefits for 95% of members, expanded access in 314 additional counties, and a simplified dental benefit.

How many members does UnitedHealthcare have in its Medicare Advantage plans?

UnitedHealthcare currently serves over 8.2 million members in its Medicare Advantage plans.

What innovations are included in UnitedHealthcare's Medicare plans for 2023?

The 2023 plans include a national rollout of UCard™, enhancements in dental benefits, and new cost-saving features addressing social determinants of health.

When can changes be made to Medicare coverage for 2023?

The Medicare Annual Enrollment period runs from October 15 to December 7, 2022.