By: Whitney Barnes, Director of Communications and Advocacy at the Illinois Chamber of Commerce
Chamber member UnitedHealthcare, the health insurance arm of UnitedHealth Group is committed to fighting COVID-19 through funding, research, and supporting their customers around the globe.
Here in Illinois, the United Health Foundation donated $500,000 to the University of Chicago Medicine to support expanded COVID-19 testing for underserved communities this spring.
The financial support provides the University of Chicago Medicine and the South Side Healthcare Collaborative community health partners to expand testing to up to 1,000 residents a day in one of the hardest hit areas in the city. The South Side of Chicago suffers some of the worst economic, health, social and violence disparities in the United States. Residents also have significantly higher rates of chronic disease such as hypertension, asthma, diabetes, obesity and HIV. Because of these factors, five of the ZIP codes in University of Chicago Medicine’s service area have among the highest confirmed rates of COVID-19 in the city.
“When the University of Chicago announced their partnership with other hospitals to expand testing, we thought it was a great opportunity to assist to help make sure people have access to tests and appropriate care,” said UnitedHealthcare of Illinois CEO Tom Kunst.
The funding will also help support training and equipment for medical professionals, and temporary housing for patients who test positive for COVID-19.
The donation is part of UnitedHealth Group’s broader effort to donate $80 million to fight COVID-19, protect the health care workforce and help people and clinicians cope with stress and anxiety from the COVID-19 pandemic and related economic challenges.
“COVID-19 is not a local issue, it is a global issue,” Kunst said. “UnitedHealth Group has a large global footprint,” Kunst said. “We’ve made donations to help support local communities in several countries where we operate such as Brazil, India, Ireland, Colombia and the Philippines, just to name a few.”
The funds will go to support impacted communities including health care workers, hard-hit states and localities, seniors and those experiencing homelessness and food insecurity.
In May, UnitedHealth Group announced additional action to support people affected by the COVID-19 pandemic by providing $1.5B of additional support for its customers.
This includes waiving all cost-sharing for COVID-19 testing and treatment for U.S. members, accelerating payments to providers, reducing prior authorization requirements, expanding access to telehealth or virtual visits, and providing a special enrollment period for fully-insured customers to allow employees who did not opt in for coverage during the regular Enrollment Period to get coverage.
“As we looked at COVID-19 and how fast it was expanding throughout the United States, we wanted to limit any barriers for members to get access to testing and appropriate care,” Kunst said. “It also helps the providers from an administrative standpoint, so they don’t have to worry about the members’ copays since UnitedHealthcare is absorbing 100 percent of those costs.”
The same is true for telehealth. UnitedHealth Group saw more telehealth calls the first month of the COVID-19 pandemic than all of 2019. As a result, the company expanded telehealth services to be covered at 100 percent during the COVID-19 national emergency.
“If members can’t access their doctors physically, we wanted to make sure they had all the appropriate channels to still make those calls to their providers,” Kunst said.
The company is also converting office cafeterias to provide meals for people in need and keep staff employed, conducting proactive personal outreach to support the most vulnerable populations and seniors, and launched a free nationwide emotional support line to manage the stress and anxiety caused by COVID-19.
“We are part of the community,” Kunst said. “We serve members across all demographics throughout the country. Our values center around compassion, and I think we can all agree we are going through unprecedented times. It’s not just issues with health care, people are losing jobs and in self-isolation. We want to be able to offer our resources when we can to help support the communities that we serve.”
UnitedHealth Group is also committed to providing their expertise in the global fight against COVID-19.
They are in the trenches in research and innovation, pioneering a non-invasive, self-administered COVID-19 test that streamlines testing, reduces PPE usage and increases safety of health care workers.
President of UnitedHealth Group and CEO of Optum, the health services arm of UnitedHealth Group, Sir Andrew Witty is temporarily suspending his roles with the company to co-lead the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 vaccine program.
In addition, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) asked UnitedHealth Group and Optum to assist in distributing a portion of the $100 billion set aside in the CARES Act to help support providers.
“We helped distribute $30 billion in funds to the provide community to help make sure the system stays ready and capable of serving the communities,” Kunst said.
The organization was able to set up all the call centers and websites and distribute all funds in four days to ensure the provider community could have access to the funds as soon as possible.
“What we did with HHS is just one little piece that demonstrates how quickly we can bring our resources and expertise that UnitedHealth Group can offer and bring to the field quickly,” Kunst said.
UnitedHealth Group is not just helping fight against COVID-19 but is also working to better prepare the world after the pandemic.
“People will be using telehealth more going forward as consumers have gotten more comfortable with tele and virtual health,” Kunst said. “Behavioral health and other therapies could be moving online. I think that is all going to be part of our future that is going to be accelerated as part of COVID-19.”
Besides the way the company covers their members and works with their providers, Kunst said the way they work as a company may also be modified.
“We want people to be safe,” Kunst said. “This is going to be with us. I think it will bring heightened awareness to health and hygiene, specially knowing that some populations are certainly more at higher risk.”
Kunst, who has been with UnitedHealth Group for over 25 years, sees their response to the pandemic as a testament to how far they have come as an organization.
“I’ve seen significant amount of change from the day I first started at UnitedHealthcare to where we’re at now,” Kunst said. “It’s not just the global footprint we have, but it’s also all the different areas of the health care delivery system that UnitedHealthcare touches. Whether that’s working with providers, employers, individuals, seniors, or the Medicaid population, we really touch on all aspects of the system.”
Employers also have a tool available for their employees. ProtectWell, a new smartphone app just launched in partnership by Microsoft and UnitedHealth Group, screens employees for COVID-19. Employees found to be at-risk for COVID-19 are directed to get a test and the app notifies employers of the results. The ProtectWell app is offered to all employers in the United States at no charge.
Kunst said it has been exciting to see how fast their organization has come together to give back in a meaningful way.
“Our mission is to help people live healthier lives and help the system work better for all,” Kunst said. “From our response to HHS, to donations we are doing with the Mayo Clinic, the expertise and partnership that we have with some of the teaching institutions around the country, and care we are providing to members affected by COVID-19, our team is proud and humbled to be able to serve our community.”
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