Health insurance that’s changing the game.
Can a health insurance plan be a game changer? What if the plan design puts employees in the driver’s seat where they can shop, compare, and decide where to get care, how much to pay, and know what’s included before the visit? A health plan that offers a vast network of care options like traditional plans but removes things that get in the way like deductibles, coinsurance, and referrals for standard care. And this same plan also benefits employers by giving them a rich benefit to offer employees that provides opportunities to save when their employees save. Game changer? You bet; and it’s called Surest.
What makes Surest different from traditional health plans?
Surest is a no-deductible health insurance plan designed to connect members to cost and care options using a digital-first user experience. When members engage with the plan through a simple search, they not only see providers and prices, but also alternative treatment options they may not be aware of. They get to evaluate care options and information in real-time to help them decide what fits their health needs, budget, and lifestyle. Since the plan has no deductible, it starts working on day one—no waiting to hit an out-of-pocket limit. And, when employees choose high-value care options, they may save money and help their employers save, too.
How can a health care plan do all that?
Price. We show it.
According to a recent Gallup poll1, fewer than 1 in 5 Americans report they know the cost of their health care products or services before receiving them. And 95% believe health care organizations should make these costs more transparent before providing care.
The Surest plan is designed to be clear, with near-instant information available to members at their fingertips. Surest assigns prices (copays) to services, procedures, and supplies that members can see in advance when they search for care in the Surest app or website. The digital experience doesn’t show average prices or estimates for care; it shows specific prices for providers and locations based on quality, efficiency, and effectiveness. Surest identifies high-value care using a broad set of factors, which impact performance and inform its value-based copays. Providers that achieve better patient health outcomes, have lower rates of complications, use resources more efficiently, and charge less for their services are evaluated as high value and are assigned a lower copay.
Surest also bundles health services that often occur together and prices them accordingly so a member can see what’s included in a single price. By grouping services—like combining tests and services that accompany a major medical procedure into one price—members can more easily know a complete price for a health care event before a medical bill is even processed.
A record-high percentage of Americans report they have had to put off their medical care due to cost. And, among people with a high-deductible commercial health plan, a recent UnitedHealthcare survey found 42% of respondents said the deductible typically causes them to skip or delay care whenever possible.3 But a symptom can become a problem and a problem can become a condition or disease that can become costly for the employee and employer to pay for needed or ongoing care. When members understand they can search for cost and care options in advance—without a deductible or co-insurance getting in the way—they’re less likely to skip care or prescriptions, and more likely to engage and be proactive about their health.
Provider network. We got it.
Surest uses the broad, national UnitedHealthcare network of doctors, clinics, and hospitals. With 1M+ providers and 6,000+ hospitals, members have impressive access to the care they need.
Care options. We offer them.
Members may not know that treatment options exist, but the Surest health plan is designed to not only show prices for care based on search terms, but also present alternative options that may be less invasive or less costly to consider. “Others felt better with” suggestions are presented to members alongside their original search so they can compare options and see what’s included in a visit. Members can then use the information to decide what type of care to get, where to go, how much to spend, or even discuss the options with a doctor or specialist before they decide. When members know more, they’re often less likely to skip care and more likely to be proactive about their health. In fact, higher engagement with the Surest health plan has led our members to a higher rate of preventive checkups—9% increase in preventive physical exams, 15% increase in preventive mammograms, and a 34% increase in preventive colonoscopies.4
Surest also embeds options like virtual care into search results to help connect members with a provider who can treat a wide range of nonemergency medical conditions—even prescriptions. And many virtual providers are available 24/7 at a low or no copay, giving members more options to get care when they need it.
Human touch. We have a team.
The Surest health plan is designed to deliver information to members where they are via an app or website, but sometimes connecting to a person is just as important. The Surest Clinical Advocacy team works to provide proactive support and guidance for members via phone, email, or chat. The team offers help with condition education, finding appropriate in-network providers, discussing treatment options, understanding covered medical benefits, identifying community resources, facilitating communication with providers, assisting with pharmacy issues, and referring into helpful programs.
Surest is health insurance designed to help people choose a path forward that may help them get better, feel better. And knowing the price for care is a big driver in making those health care decisions. Employees want a health insurance plan they can use and not feel penalized by high deductibles or confusing bills when they use it. Employers want to provide benefits that help retain and recruit employees, but often affordable health plans just shift costs around. Surest delivers real results with a proactive, innovative approach that puts care back into health care benefits—the way it should be. Changing the game? We think so. Perhaps it’s why Surest is now the fastest growing commercial offering at UnitedHealthcare.
(1)Comparison of 2022 medical out-of-pocket spend for members who migrated to a Surest plan in 2022 compared to members from the same employers in a non-Surest plan. 141_V04.
(2)2023 UnitedHealthcare Consumer Sentiment Survey was conducted Aug. 2-4, 2023, using Engine INSIGHTS CARAVAN® online survey of 1,005 U.S. adults 18 and older. The margin of error was plus or minus 3% at the 95% confidence level.
(3)Comparison of members identified as having 12 months enrollment in a UHC plan in 2021, and 12 months enrollment in a Surest plan in 2022. 167_V01.
(4)Surest 2022 book of business plan sponsors with both medical and pharmacy data within our warehouse; industry 2022 commercial benchmarks and risk adjustment methodology. Risk adjusted for demographics, geography, and disease burden. 168_V01, 66_V03, 169_V01, 71_V03, 67_V03.