UnitedHealthcare seeks to remove deductibles with Surest offering

Photo: Tempura/Getty Images

UnitedHealthcare is making a push to remove deductibles and provide clear, upfront pricing information with its new Surest offering, itself a rebrand of Bind, which was introduced in 2016. According to UHC, Surest has the fastest growth rate among its employer-sponsored plans.

Surest is offered to employers nationwide with self-funded health plans, and to fully insured customers with 51 or more employees in 11 states: Arizona, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah and Virginia. The goal is to add up to nine additional states by the end of the year.

More than 150 employers are currently using a Surest plan, and UHC said a growing number are adding it as an option for the 2023 enrollment season this fall.

WHAT'S THE IMPACT?

One of the key features of the plan is transparent healthcare quality and cost data displayed in the Surest app. The idea is to make it easier for members to understand both their coverage and cost before receiving care or making an appointment.

A 2021 Milliman analysis cited by UHC showed a tenfold increase in virtual visit use by members who have these plans, and a 6% reduction in emergency department visits, which are considered "low-value" care. 

Members can review single, all-in prices for more than 490 services before receiving care. They also may be able to pay less out of pocket and receive more effective treatments from quality care providers, as determined by national standardized measures, according to UHC. The goal here is to avoid multiple or surprise bills.

The same Milliman analysis showed costs were up to 15% less per member per month compared to high-deductible health plans, while out-of-pocket costs for members were 44% less.

THE LARGER TREND

Last week UHC announced it was donating $11 million in grants through its Empowering Health program across 11 states to expand access to care and address the social determinants of health, focusing on uninsured people in underserved communities.

The organization cited the social and economic challenges wrought by the lingering COVID-19 pandemic as its primary motivators. These challenges continue to exacerbate health disparities in many communities, UHC said. More than a third of members screened by UnitedHealthcare for social-related needs experience at least one social determinant of health, company data showed.

In June, the U.S. Supreme Court declined to hear UnitedHealthcare's challenge to a federal rule stipulating insurers offering Medicare Advantage plans refund payments based on unsupported diagnoses in patients' medical records.

The rule, which has been in place since 2014, requires that if an insurer learns a diagnosis submitted to CMS for payment lacks support in the beneficiary's medical record, the insurer must refund the payment within 60 days.

ON THE RECORD

"People and employers are looking for a simpler and more sustainable health care plan," said Alison Richards, CEO, Surest. "Our new brand name, Surest, helps convey the idea of clarity, confidence and control our members have with their plan."
 

Twitter: @JELagasse
Email the writer: jeff.lagasse@himssmedia.com