About UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare is the world’s largest health insurance company based on net premiums written, according to AM Best. It offers health benefit programs for individuals, employers and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
The company partners with more than 1.5 million medical providers and 7,000 hospitals and other care facilities across the country.
UnitedHealthcare offers health maintenance organization and exclusive provider organization plans on the health insurance marketplace, which is at Healthcare.gov. The marketplace is a place to find coverage for those who don’t have access to a health plan through work. UnitedHealthcare offers insurance coverage directly to individuals and families in 22 states and employer-sponsored health insurance plans throughout the country.
Types of Health Insurance Offered by UnitedHealthcare
Besides Affordable Care Act (ACA) plans, UnitedHealthcare also offers many other types of health insurance coverage, including plans for:
- Employer-based coverage through group health insurance
- Medicaid
- Medicare
- Short-term health insurance
- Supplemental insurance (including critical illness insurance, dental insurance, vision insurance and many other types of plans)
Other Types of Insurance Offered by UnitedHealthcare
In addition to ACA plans, UnitedHealthcare offers:
- Accident insurance
- Critical illness insurance
- Dental insurance
- Employer-sponsored health insurance
- Medicare
- Self-employed plans
- Short-term health insurance
- Student plans
- Vision insurance
Types of Plans Available from UnitedHealthcare
UnitedHealthcare offers two types of plans on the health insurance marketplace:
- HMO: Patients with a health maintenance organization (HMO) plan typically only are covered for care from providers within the plan’s network. In most cases, you need a referral to see a specialist.
- EPO: Patients with an exclusive provider organization (EPO) plan are only covered if they use physicians, specialists or hospitals within the plan’s network. You typically do not need a referral to see a specialist.
The company offers three metal tiers on the ACA marketplace. Insurers can offer bronze, silver, gold and platinum, but UnitedHealthcare only offers bronze, silver and gold. Bronze plans have the lowest premiums but the highest deductibles and out-of-pocket costs. Of the UnitedHealthcare’s metal tier offerings, gold plans have the highest premiums but the lowest out-of-pocket costs.
Where Is UnitedHealthcare Health Insurance Available?
UnitedHealth Group Inc. is based in Minnetonka, Minnesota. Its health plans are available in:
Member Benefits from UnitedHealthcare
Some UnitedHealthcare plans offer additional benefits. The type of benefits you can access will depend on your specific plan, but may include:
- $0 primary care physician visits and copays.
- Adult vision and dental for some plans.
- Digital fitness class subscription.
- Gift cards when you see your primary care physician.
- Health savings accounts on eligible plans.
- Low-cost prescriptions ($3 at Walgreens).
- Prescription delivery for some plans.
- Unlimited virtual visits, including urgent care.
How Much Do UnitedHealthcare Health Insurance Plans Cost?
UnitedHealthcare health insurance plans cost $450 monthly on average for a 30-year-old with an ACA marketplace plan. Age is a cost factor for ACA plans. The average monthly cost for UnitedHealthcare’s ACA plans range from $396 for someone age 21 to $1,076 for age 60.
Average UnitedHealthcare Health Insurance Cost by Age
Age of member | Average monthly costs for a UHC plan |
---|---|
Age 21
|
$396
|
Age 27
|
$415
|
Age 30
|
$450
|
Age 40
|
$506
|
Age 50
|
$708
|
Age 60
|
$1,076
|
ACA marketplace plans are divided by metal tier: bronze, silver, gold and platinum based on costs. Bronze and silver plans have the lowest premiums but the highest out-of-pocket costs when you need healthcare. Platinum and gold have higher premiums but fewer out-of-pocket costs.
Bronze and silver plans are the most common type of plan, while platinum plans are fairly rare.
Average Costs for UnitedHealthcare by Metal Plan
Age of member | Average monthly cost for a UHC Bronze plan | Average monthly cost for a UHC Silver plan | Average monthly cost for a UHC Gold plan |
---|---|---|---|
Age 21
|
$334
|
$431
|
485€
|
Age 27
|
$350
|
$452
|
$509
|
Age 30
|
$380
|
$489.00
|
$551
|
Age 40
|
$427
|
$551.00
|
620 |
Age 50
|
$597
|
$770.00
|
$867
|
Age 60
|
$908
|
$1,170
|
$1,317
|
How UnitedHealthcare Costs Compare to Other Companies
UnitedHealthcare average costs are slightly more than some major competitors. Many factors go into health insurance costs, so it’s wise to check health insurance quotes from multiple companies to compare premiums, out-of-pocket costs and benefits.
Average Monthly Costs for ACA Marketplace Plan by Company
Age of member | UnitedHealthcare | Blue Cross Blue Shield | Aetna | Cigna |
---|---|---|---|---|
Age 21
|
$396
|
$444
|
365€
|
$390
|
Age 27
|
$415
|
$468
|
$382
|
$417.00
|
Age 30
|
$450
|
$506.00
|
$414
|
$449
|
Age 40
|
$506
|
$569.00
|
466 |
$504.00
|
Age 50
|
$708
|
$795.00
|
$651
|
$705.00
|
Age 60
|
$1,076
|
$1,206
|
$990
|
$1,066
|
HMOs: Average Monthly Health Insurance Costs
Company | Age 30 | Age 40 | Age 50 | Age 60 |
---|---|---|---|---|
$414
|
$466
|
651€
|
$990
|
|
$417
|
$470
|
$657
|
$998.00
|
|
$441
|
$497.00
|
$694
|
$1,055
|
|
$436
|
$491.00
|
686 |
$1,043.00
|
|
$400
|
$451.00
|
$630
|
$957.00
|
|
$407
|
$458
|
$641
|
$974
|
|
UnitedHealthcare
|
$431
|
$486
|
$679
|
$1,032.00
|
EPOs: Average Monthly Health Insurance Costs
Company | Age 30 | Age 40 | Age 50 | Age 60 |
---|---|---|---|---|
$413
|
$465
|
650€
|
$988
|
|
$432
|
$487
|
$680
|
$1,034.00
|
|
$550
|
$617.00
|
$864
|
$1,307
|
|
$459
|
$513.00
|
720 |
$1,084.00
|
|
$383
|
$431.00
|
$602
|
$915.00
|
|
$411
|
$463
|
$647
|
$983
|
|
UnitedHealthcare
|
$490
|
$552
|
$772
|
$1,172.00
|
Reviews & Ratings for UnitedHealthcare
Complaints filed with state insurance departments against UnitedHealthcare for individual health insurance are better than the industry average. The company’s complaint ratio is better than that of other major competitors analyzed.
Other ratings for UnitedHealthcare include:
- Average National Committee for Quality Assurance: 3.5 out of 5 stars
- AM Best financial strength: A+ (Superior)
UnitedHealthcare received the second best average NCQA marks among the companies we analyzed (tied with Blue Cross Blue Shield and behind only Kaiser Permanente). The insurer received its highest marks for prevention and treatment, but patient experience was not as strong.
UnitedHealthcare doesn’t have any five-star plans but three did receive 4.5 out of 5 stars for POS/PPO combined plans offered in Rhode Island and Minnesota.
AM Best recently upgraded UnitedHealthcare’s financial strength from A (Excellent) to A+ (Superior). AM Best highlighted the company’s “balance sheet strength” and also noted its’ “very strong operating performance, very favorable business profile and very strong enterprise risk management.”
Methodology
We used the following data to determine the best health insurance companies.
- Complaints made to state insurance departments (30% of score): We used complaint data from the National Association of Insurance Commissioners.
- Plan ratings from the National Committee for Quality Assurance (30% of score): The National Committee for Quality Assurance is an independent, nonprofit organization that accredits health plans and produces ratings based on specific metrics.
- Average silver plan deductible (20% of score): The deductible is how much you have to pay for healthcare services in a year before the health plan begins picking up a portion of the costs.
- Breadth of health plans (10% of score): Health insurance companies may offer up to four types of plan benefit designs (PPO, HMO, EPO and POS).
- Metal tier offerings (10% of score): We gave points to companies offering more metal tiers. The ACA marketplace has four metal tier levels