by Amy Jordan, Vice President, Consumer Experience | UnitedHealthcare Employer & Individual Plans
As the demand for choice, flexibility and personalization in health care grows, more modern digital tools aim to help simplify tasks like navigating cost information and scheduling appointments.
Transforming the way people have traditionally interacted with health care with a simpler, more personalized experience may help improve access to care. New digital resources are designed to help empower individuals and families to find care and information to help support their needs, from finding providers to tapping into programs that support fitness, nutrition, mental health, and more.
Below are some helpful tips to consider getting the most out of digital health offerings.
Explore your member portal
Log in regularly to your health plan’s digital member portal to view benefits, manage claims, and access wellness resources. These portals may provide a secure, personalized, and user-friendly way to help you manage your health 24/7. Some plans may offer digital tools to help you compare provider costs and make more informed decisions.
When navigating health care options, provider search tools and cost estimators can be important resources for finding in-network doctors, specialists, and facilities that can reduce your out-of-pocket costs compared to out-of-network providers.
Take advantage of virtual care
Virtual visits may make it simpler and more efficient to connect with providers. Virtual care can complement in-person care, offering an alternative for non-emergency care such as primary, urgent, and specialist care.
Moreover, this type of care is growing in popularity across the country, with many patients reporting higher satisfaction with telehealth services. Check your health care plan to see what virtual care options you may have available.
Talk to your employer about your health care options
There are a growing number of health and wellness offerings designed to complement traditional benefit options. Talk to your employer to understand what offerings may be available to you.
Some of these benefits may include programs that may support whole-person health and wellness, weight loss support, and chronic disease management through programs like UnitedHealthcare’s Total Weight Support. Another option is Level2 from UnitedHealthcare, which can help members work to improve their glucose and work to improve their type 2 diabetes.
Check to see if digital experiences that are designed to help empower members to shop for discounted health and wellness offerings are available to you. For example, eligible UnitedHealthcare members now have access to UHC Store, a new online shopping experience where they can purchase discounted health and wellness offerings that may support their individual health and wellness needs and complement their existing benefits, offering savings of up to 15%.
With UHC Store, members can personalize their health and wellness offerings by choosing from a suite of products that are designed to support everyday health, including support for women’s and mental health; family wellness, such as resources for family planning, caregiving, pregnancy and postpartum care; fitness and nutrition, including programs for weight management, fitness and meal planning; and health coordination including resources to help manage chronic conditions like autoimmune, diabetes and musculoskeletal issues.
Another option to consider is copay-only health plans. These health plans often eliminate coinsurance and deductibles and may help make it easier for members to compare cost and coverage options, so they better understand costs before their appointment.
The Surest health plan from UnitedHealthcare, for example, offers upfront pricing while also eliminating deductibles and coinsurance. Instead, members can compare copays for different services, providers, and locations in the Surest app before seeking care, with lower copays assigned to higher-performing provider and care options.
From virtual visits to wellness apps and personalized portals, technology is reshaping the health care experience to help individuals take a proactive approach to their health.
