Myths and Facts about Consumer-Driven Health Plans

Myths and Facts about Consumer-Driven Health Plans MYTH “A consumer-driven health plan is only good for young and healthy people.” FACT UnitedHealthcare’s consumer-driven health plans are designed for all people, not just the young and healthy. Our research shows that the people most interested in consumer-driven health plans are women, in their mid 40s, who are experienced in using the health care system. As a matter of fact, the following is based on our current clients:  Female: XX%  Male: XX%  Average Age: XX (average age of eligible employees = XX years old) We believe consumer-driven health plans add more value compared to other plans, including those that offer copays. Traditional copay plans keep costs down by putting limits on people and requiring copayments for services. Consumer-driven health plans provide people with more flexibility about which doctors to see and when to see them. Before you enroll, learn about the benefits of our consumer-driven health plan. UnitedHealthcare has many tools and resources available on myuhc.com® and by calling a dedicated customer care professional. These tools include plan cost estimators to compare plans, cost calculators, doctor and hospital searches and more. They help you choose the best plan for you and your family. Our tools and in-person meetings are designed to be helpful before and during open enrollment. MYTH “Consumer-driven plans are too hard to understand.” FACT Actually, consumer-driven health plans can be easy to understand and easier to use than traditional copay and managed care plans. For example:  Typically, there are no copayments  You do not have to choose a primary care physician  You do not have to get a referral to see a specialist  Preventive care is covered up to 100%  You have a clearly-defined out-of-pocket maximum, so there are no surprises  You have access to a national network of more than 560,000 physicians, 4,800 hospitals and 60,000 pharmacies. Also, UnitedHealthcare offers helpful tools and online videos on myuhc.com® to help you understand your plan. You also can contact a dedicated customer care professional at x-xxxxxx-xxxx to help answer any questions you may have about the plan before and after you enroll. MYTH “The plan’s tools are mostly on myuhc.com. I have to be computer-savvy to use them.” FACT We understand that not everyone is comfortable with the internet. That is why we make sure information, including tools and resources, are available to all people interested in a consumer-driven health plan. Just by calling a customer care professional, you can get information such as account balances, find approximate health care pricing, or find doctors and hospitals close to you. Once you are a UnitedHealthcare member, our Health Coaches are also available 24 hours a day to help you make good decisions related to your health. They can even mail you health care information, if you like. Call x-xxx-xxx-xxxx to get help today. MYTH “The consumer-driven health plan saves my employer more money than me.” FACT There’s no question that consumer-driven health plans can help save your employer money, just as it saves you money. And that’s a good thing, because employers’ costs continue to rise, just as yours do. To help you save money, consumer-driven health plans give you incentives to spend your health care dollars wisely. [You may have a Health Reimbursement Account (HRA) which gives you benefit dollars upfront. The HRA gives you the ability to carry unused dollars into the next year. ] [You have the ability to open and fund a Health Savings Account (HSA) to help save and pay for eligible health care expenses without having to pay income tax on the money. In a 2006 study*, 88 percent of DefinitySM HSA holders had account balances greater than zero at the end of the year. Income Range Under $25,000 $25,000 – $49,999 $50,000 – $99,999 $100,000 + Average Contribution $1,166 $1,422 $1,823 $2,290 Average Balance $597 $757 $1,063 $1,463 You also have health care cost, quality, and treatment option information to help you spend your benefit dollars wisely. These helpful tools don’t usually exist within other health plans but you can find them on myuhc.com®. By the way, many of our members save an average of 10 percent more than those enrolled in a traditional, copay health care plan. *Analysis was conducted by UnitedHealth Group’s Health Services analysis team. MYTH “The consumer driven plan doesn’t give me direction about which doctors and hospitals to choose.” FACT UnitedHealthcare gives you access to information to choose a doctor or hospital that offers you the best mix of location, specialties, quality and cost. When you use our pricing tool (by telephone or on myuhc.com), you see a cost range based on the doctor’s or hospital’s location. We don’t want you to leave your health care choice to chance. The UnitedHealth Premium® designation program can show you which doctors and facilities meet quality and cost efficiency guidelines of care. Just look for the stars on myuhc.com. Or, for a free interactive guide to the UnitedHealth Premium program, visit www.mychoicenotchance.com. MYTH “I will have to educate my doctor on what my benefits are and how I’m supposed to pay for services.” FACT Our billing process and access to benefits is the same for all UnitedHealthcare plans. You simply show your member ID card at the doctor’s office and he or she will submit the claim to UnitedHealthcare. You are billed for any out-of-pocket costs (e.g., coinsurance). Also, you and your doctor both have access to the toll-free Customer Care line, found on the back of your member ID card, for any questions you may have. Many doctors can even provide you with a real time, accurate cost estimates just by logging onto their UnitedHealthcare online site which is also listed on your member ID card. MYTH “I won’t go to the doctor regularly for preventive care.” FACT Actually, you may be more likely to go more often. Between 20-60 percent of members are more likely to use their preventive care coverage with a consumer-driven health plan. If you visit a network doctor, you do not pay anything for eligible preventive care services. This coverage should encourage you to seek more regular preventive care. Insurance coverage provided by or through UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company or its affiliates. Administrative services provided by UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, United HealthCare Services, Inc., or their affiliates. The DefinitySM Health Savings Account (HSA) high deductible health plan (HDHP) is designed to comply with IRS requirements so eligible enrollees may open a Health Savings Account with a bank of their choice or through OptumHealth Bank, Member of FDIC. “Definity HSA” refers generally to the Definity HSASM product, which includes a HDHP, although at times “Definity HSA” may refer only and specifically to the Definity Health Savings Account, provided in conjunction with OptumHealth Bank and not to the associated HDHP. UnitedHealthcare’s DefinitySM Health Reimbursement Account, or HRA, combines the flexibility of a medical benefit plan with an employerfunded reimbursement account. The UnitedHealth Premium® designation program is intended as a resource for informational purposes only. Designations are displayed in UnitedHealthcare online physician directories at myuhc.com®. You should always consult myuhc.com for the most current information. Premium designations are a guide to choosing a physician and may be used as one of many factors you consider when choosing the physicians from whom you receive care. If you already have a physician, you may also wish to confer with him or her for advice on selecting other physicians. Physician evaluations have a risk of error and should not be the sole basis for selecting a physician. Please see myuhc.com for detailed program information and methodologies. Only individual physicians and facilities that meet UnitedHealth Premium designation criteria, or physicians in designated specialties who are part of medical groups that meet UnitedHealth Premium criteria for group practices and who have sufficient claims data for analysis, may be designated. All physicians and facilities that contract with UnitedHealthcare have met credentialing requirements. Regardless of designation, plan enrollees have access to all physicians and facilities in the UnitedHealthcare network. Specialties for which there are no quality guidelines currently established in the program are excluded from evaluation and are noted as such.